The Sri Lankan government imposed a two-week ban on airline passengers from Gulf states on Tuesday, citing coronavirus rules but without elaborating.
The civil aviation authority said anyone who had been in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain or Kuwait in the past 14 days was not permitted to fly to Colombo.
The reason for the ban was unclear. Travel from Sri Lanka to several Gulf countries including UAE has been prohibited since May.
Sri Lanka suffered a series of spikes in coronavirus case numbers at about the same time as cases in India surged, although not on the same scale.
Daily cases have hovered around 2,000 in the past week, in a country with a population of about 22 million. In May, daily cases were about 3,600.
Capt Themiya Abeywickrama, director general of Sri Lanka's civil aviation authority, told local media that passengers passing through Gulf states were permitted.
In a statement on its website, Emirates Airline, said: "Effective June 30 until July 13, customers will not be accepted for travel on Emirates to Colombo."
It said passengers can rebook their flights or choose alternatives.
On Tuesday, the UAE extended restrictions on passengers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka until July 21, national carrier Etihad Airways said.
A ban on passengers from India began in April and was expanded to the other three countries on May 12, after each of them reported the Delta coronavirus strain.
India flight ban grounds flights - in pictures
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
The Vile
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Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
