ABSTRACT
Sri Lanka was able to successfully limit cases during the first wave, with a weekly average of approximately six cases per day by October 4, 2020 and only 13 deaths during the seven-month period. The Covid-19 pandemic occurred during a pivotal time in Sri Lanka’s political landscape. Sri Lanka has been characterized by deep ethnic, linguistic, and religious divides since before independence. The Covid-19 response in Sri Lanka has predominantly been administered by the military and police. Despite initial successes in stopping the spread, Sri Lanka is facing several emergencies nearly two years into the pandemic. Sri Lanka has been characterized by increasing militarization since the November 2019 election of Rajapaksa. The pandemic has allowed the government to increase and institutionalize exclusionary policies, often in the name of protecting public health. Sri Lanka’s history of ethnic conflict serves as a warning about how these fractionalizations can escalate.
