Sri Lanka likely to end nation-wide Covid lockdown on October 1: Spokesman

Sri Lanka is planning to end the nation-wide lockdown on October 1 as the health authorities feel the current COVID-19 situation in the island nation has improved and is conducive to lift the curfew, the government spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The Sri Lankan government imposed a nation-wide lockdown on August 20 and extended it thrice as health authorities grappled with the crisis of the raging third wave since mid-April.

"Sri Lanka is bracing to end its lockdown on October 1. Health officials say the current condition is conducive to lift the curfew and the government was hopeful of resuming normal functioning of the country from next week," Ramesh Pathirana, who is also the Minister for Plantation, said.

The government announced on Monday that the full work force in both state and private sectors are required to report to work from October 1.

Since the lockdown came into effect on August 20, only a limited number of staff were asked to report as the public transport services were stopped.

"Public transport would resume operations under health guidelines," Gen. Shavendra Silva, the chief of Sri Lankan COVID-19 task force and the Army Commander, said.

Sri Lanka has so far reported over 12,731 COVID-19 deaths, while the total number of cases as on Tuesday stood at 514,592, according to Johns Hopkins University.