The COVID-19 pandemic was first confirmed in Sri Lanka on 27 January 2020, after a 44-year-old Chinese woman from Hubei Province in China was admitted to the National Institute of Infection Diseases.

As of 13 May 2020, 889 confirmed cases have been reported in the country with 9 deaths. On 3 March 2020, the first reported case involving a Sri Lankan origin outside Sri Lanka was reported in Italy.

As of 23 March, forty-five quarantine centers have been built in the country by the Sri Lanka Army. Nearly 3,500 people have been under quarantine in 45 quarantine centers which also include 31 foreigners from 14 countries.

As of 25 March 2020, Sri Lankan authorities have tracked down over 14,000 people who had contacted the identified patients and had ordered self-quarantine for such people.

As of 16 April 2020, Sri Lanka has been named as 16th high risk country prone to virus pandemic. Sri Lanka has been ranked 9th best country in the world for its successful immediate response on tackling the virus.