Lanka shuts down all schools amid coronavirus threat

Sri Lanka on Thursday announced the closure of all schools across the country to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

The Education Ministry announced that all schools will remain shut down till April 20, as second person in Sri Lanka tested positive for the virus.

The second patient, identified as a 44 year-old man, is said to have had close contact with the first patient detected with the virus in the country, Director-General of Health Services Anil Jasinghe said.

The first person to be detected with the coronavirus in Sri Lanka was identified as a 56-year-old driver, who had reportedly been on tour with a group of Italians prior to showing symptoms of the virus.

The education minister said the threat posed by the spread of the coronavirus in Sri Lanka was a key reason for the temporary closure of government schools.

The government hasstopped the visa on arrival policy applicable for 48 countries since the outbreak and also appealed to the public to avoid non-essential foreign travel.

All Sri Lankans arriving from Italy, South Korea and China are being sent to quarantine centres set up in the eastern province.

The outbreak has spread across the world since emerging in central China late last year, killing more than 4,600 people, infecting over 126,000, and prompting a wave of travel restrictions.