Quarantine curfew extended to Colombo Fort, Pettah, Borella and Welikada
351 new cases confirmed on Sunday as COVID-19 total nears 8000
COLOMBO – Several more police jurisdictions in Colombo and the outskirts came under quarantine curfew on Sunday (25), as the day’s novel coronavirus count crossed the 350 mark once again and the Epidemiology Unit issued a map identifying high risk areas in the country.
The National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) announced indefinite quarantine curfew had been imposed in the Colombo Fort, Pettah, Borella and Welikada police divisions effective 6:00 p.m. Sunday, extending a curfew declared in Maligawatte, Keselwatte, Barber Street, Dam Street and Foreshore Police areas, Gothatuwa and Mulleriyawa on Saturday (24).
The NOCPCO also said the curfew in force within Beruwala, Payagala and Aluthgama areas scheduled to be lifted at 5.00 a.m. Monday (26), will not be lifted and will be in effect until further notice.
The curfew imposed in the Gampaha district will continue until further notice, the NOCPCO announced on Sunday, but said essential food outlets and pharmacies in district will be opened from 8:00 a.m. to 10:000 p.m. to facilitate the people to purchase the required items and medicines.
Residents will be permitted to walk to the closest store to get supplies,” Sri Lanka’s military chief Shavendra Silva, who also head the NOCPCO, said.
The NOCPCO also announced all branches of State and private banks in the district will be open on Monday, and said staff required to open the banks can use their official identity cards as curfew passes to report for duty.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Railways announced the cancellation of all trains operating on the Main, Kelani Valley and Puttalam Lines with effect from Monday. However, it said special trains will operate to facilitate students sitting for the GCE Advanced Level examination.
The Government Department of Information said 351 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed by 9:30 p.m. Sunday, taking Sri Lanka’s novel coronavirus tally to 7,872 and the number of active cases to 4,054. Health authorities also announced 89 COVID-19 patients had been deemed recovered and left the various hospitals they were being treated at, taking the total recoveries to 3,803.
The bulk of those detected as positive on Sunday are connected to the Peliyagoda fish market, which authorities say is linked to the Minuwangoda cluster that has now expanded to 4,398, the largest cluster in Sri Lanka with several sub-clusters in various parts of the country.
In a separate development, the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health released their latest COVID-19 map detailing high and low-risk areas the country. The map, the Unit said is based on the categorization of Medical Officers of Health areas, on the number of cases reported, and distribution of quarantine centres.
The cases considered are those that were reported within the last 14 days ending on Thursday (22), it said.
According to the map, the high risk areas include the Colombo Municipal Council limits, Nugegoda, Battaramulla, Kolonnawa, Kahathuduwa, Moratuwa, Kaduwela, most areas in the Gampaha district, Matugama and Wadduwa.
-ENCL