Sri Lanka reports 1st omicron case in returnee from Nigeria

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI
Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka has confirmed its first case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in an unvaccinated person who returned from Nigeria. The health ministry says the 25-year-old Sri Lankan woman returned on Nov. 24, four days before the government banned travelers from six African countries. It says she was tested at the airport because she was unvaccinated, and the result was positive. She was sent to a treatment facility and later discharged and is currently staying at her residence. Sri Lanka has eased many of its coronavirus restrictions following a sharp decline in cases and deaths in recent weeks.