Sri Lankan extends curfew for indefinite period in Western province

Sri Lanka on Wednesday extended curfew in its Western province, housing business and administrative centres, for an indefinite period to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus that has infected 102 people in the island nation.

The curfew in the Western province will not be lifted until further notice, an official announcement said.

Western province with the capital Colombo is under a curfew since Friday. The three Western province districts which included capital Colombo was designated high risk zones for the spread of the virus.

The health officials said there were no new coronavirus cases reported on Wednesday. The deadly virus has infected 102 people in the country.

Director General Health Services Dr Anil Jasinghe said that a decision has been made to provide door to door services of essentials items such as food and medicine during the lockdown period. This step has been taken to promote social distancing.

Around 1,600 of overseas returnees have been placed under observation, Jasinghe said.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa urged the international donor agencies to allow a debt moratorium or debt deferment facility to all vulnerable developing countries who are affected by COVID-19, his office said.

In view of the rising number of the novel coronavirus cases globally, the country has suspended all international flights arriving in the country.

On Tuesday, the authorities opened the capital city of Colombo for the first time in four days after a continuous curfew as part of the lockdown to combat COVID-19.

Long queues were seen outside super markets and retailers as people lined up to buy essentials.