Sri Lanka relaxes curfew in several districts to kick start economic activities

Sri Lankan authorities on Monday relaxed an ongoing curfew in several districts of the country while capital Colombo and three other districts which were declared as "high risk" zones due to the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to remain under a curfew, the government information department said in a statement.

According to the statement, the curfew had been relaxed in 19 districts on Monday at 5:00 a.m. local time in order to revive economic activities, but it will be re-imposed again at 8:00 p.m. local time. Daily, the curfew would be lifted at 5:00 a.m. local time and re-imposed again at 8:00 p.m. local time.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a special announcement on Sunday evening said that while the curfew in several districts would be lifted after four weeks, it was imperative to adhere to health guidelines and act responsibly for the safety of society at large.

The police also urged people to maintain social distancing and requested state and private companies to adhere to the guidelines laid down by the Health Ministry even after the curfew is relaxed.

The government information department said that the curfew in capital Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara on the outskirts and Puttalam in the north western province which was initially to be lifted on Wednesday (April 22) had been extended till April 27 due to 40 new cases being detected on Sunday and Monday, in Colombo, raising the total number of positive COVID-19 patients to 295 across the country.

Government officials said that all the new patients were those who were under quarantine in their homes or at quarantine centers.

According to the Health Ministry statistics, out of the total number of the positive patients, 97 have recovered and been discharged.

Sri Lanka has reported seven deaths from the virus so far.