COLOMBO: Sri Lanka will reopen its borders to foreign tourists this week after a 10-month hiatus, officials said Monday, with travellers subject to tough Covid-19 protocols.

The announcement came despite a surge in Covid-19 cases and deaths, as authorities sought to revive a once-lucrative tourism sector devastated by the deadly 2019 Easter bombings and the pandemic.

“Every precautionary measure has been set in place to make the island getaway as safe, secure and serene as possible for visitors,” the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said in a statement, with borders due to open on Thursday.

The sun-soaked island nation, famous for its picturesque beaches, last month welcomed some 1,700 Ukrainian tourists on charter flights in a “pilot project to test our systems”, the government said.