With coronavirus tally at 53, Sri Lanka declares curfew till March 23

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday declared island-wide curfew in the country till March 23 morning as a part of preventive measure to contain the coronavirus spread.

The island nation has reported 53 cases so far.

"Island-wide curfew declared from 6 pm today (20) till 6 am Monday (23)," Rajapaksa tweeted.

Island-wide Curfew declared from 6pm today (20) till 6am Monday (23) #coronavirus #covid-19 pic.twitter.com/eBlhVxhmMW

— Gotabaya Rajapaksa (@GotabayaR) March 20, 2020

Sri Lanka has banned all incoming flights for two weeks and has closed schools and universities, Al Jazeera reported.

It has disrupted the academic calendar, including first-term examinations which were due to start this week. Schools and universities will remain close for five weeks.

Sri Lanka is also conducting week-long Buddhist prayers, called 'Rathana Suthraya', as a means to combat the widespread coronavirus infections. 

Coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan city of China, has so far claimed the lives of 10,000 people globally. The epicentre of the disease has now shifted to Europe.