The first confirmed case of novel coronavirus was reported in Sri Lanka on the 27th of January as a female Chinese national was diagnosed with the deadly virus, which rapidly spread across many countries just within days. The 47-year old Chinese woman from Hubei Province in China was admitted to the IDH in critical condition.

Dr. Sudath Samaraweera, Chief Epidemiologist at the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry, stated that the woman had arrived as a tourist with another group of travelers and had been screened at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) for having a high fever. The rest of the travelers accompanying her had already left the country and the hotels she and her travel companions had stayed at have been identified, he added.