How Sri Lanka Fared During Covid - 19

March 2020- 2021

Like every nation in the world, the island country of Sri Lanka suffered at the onset of the Covivd-19 pandemic. This photo reportage captures some of the pivotal moments of the pandemic.

COVID - 19 — A signboard at a pharmacy claims that they have run out of face masks; a common sight at the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

COVID - 19 — A young student wearing a mask on her way to school with her mother. Children and the elderly were among the vulnerable groups during the pandemic.

COVID - 19 — A man wearing a makeshift mask.

COVID - 19 — A military official disinfecting an area.

COVID - 19 — wearing hazmat overalls, reflected on a puddle.

COVID - 19 — People traveling back home from Colombo, the country’s capital, awaiting transport. The Covid-19 lockdown saw public transport coming to a complete standstill, which resulted in those who had come to the capital for work stranded without a way back home. The government organized special transport services for these people.

COVID - 19 — People travelling back home from Colombo, the country’s capital, awaiting transport.

COVID - 19 — A woman gets her temperature checked.

COVID - 19 — Three medical officials taking a break at a vaccination center in Colombo.

COVID - 19 — A long-distance traveler and her child is disinfected before boarding a bus.

COVID - 19 — A medical official in full personal protective gear takes a break.

COVID - 19 — Protest against forced cremations; in 2020, the Sri Lankan government enabled a controversial policy to cremate those who succumb to Covid-19. The government policy, then backed by multiple medical professionals, was challenged by multiple religious groups, especially the Muslim community in the country, who do not practice cremation.

COVID - 19 — Communist party member wearing on a face shield May Day meeting in Colombo, During COVID 19 Pandemic on Sri Lanka May 1, 2021

COVID - 19 — A boy attends school wearing a face shield. Schools were closed for the duration of the lockdown around the island. When schools reopened in 2021, face shields, face masks and other precautions became mandatory for all.

COVID - 19 — The Covid-19 deceased: a body prepared for transport.

COVID - 19 — The Covid-19 deceased: a body prepared for transport. After preparation, the body was taken to the crematorium.

COVID - 19 — A moratorium worker preparing the cadaver of a person who died from Covid-19.

COVID - 19 — A funeral vehicle ready to transport the deceased.

COVID - 19 — A man gags during a mandatory PCR test.

COVID - 19 — Sri Lanka was one of the first countries in South Asia to start mass vaccination programmes for its citizens.

COVID - 19 — A medical official holding a vial of the anti-Covid vaccination.

COVID - 19 — People gathered outside a vaccination center.

COVID - 19 — People gathered outside a vaccination center.

COVID - 19 — People gathered outside a vaccination center.

COVID - 19 — A municipal worker rides a bicycle through an empty Colombo during a Covid-19 lockdown.

COVID - 19 — The Pettah railway station, one of the main railway stations in Colombo, was shut down during the pandemic lockdown.

COVID - 19 — Police checkpoint in Colombo during the Covid-19 lockdown.

COVID - 19 — An empty Pettah, during the Covid-19 lockdown.

COVID - 19 — A medical official extracts the vaccine from a vial at a vaccination Centre.

COVID - 19 — People gathered at a vaccination center in Colombo.

COVID - 19 — A person receiving a Covid-19 vaccine.

COVID - 19 — People gathered at a vaccination centre.

COVID - 19 — Masked vendors and customers during the height of the pandemic.

COVID - 19 — COVID 19