Curfew in Western Province from midnight Thursday as COVID tally crosses 9000 mark
Army chief say virus spreading faster than before; 335 new cases reported on Wednesday
COLOMBO – The government on Wednesday (28) announced a three-day quarantine curfew for the Western Province effective midnight Thursday (29), as Sri Lanka’s novel coronavirus tally crossed the 9000 mark with 335 new cases confirmed during the course of the day.
The National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-l9 Outbreak (NOCPCO) said the curfew being imposed on the recommendation of the Director General of Health Services, come into effect at 12.00 midnight Thursday and continue till 5:00 a.m. Monday (Nov 2) and will cover the entire Western Province.
It said in areas where an indefinite curfew is already in force, a 14-hour grace period will be offered from 8:00 a.m. till 10:00 p.m. Thursday to facilitate the residents to purchase food items and medicine. The areas already under curfew include the Gampaha district, 21 police areas in Colombo and five police areas in Kalutara.
However, these areas will remain under curfew after Monday, until further notice, the NOCPCO said.
Head of the NOCPCO, Army Commander Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, told reporters on Wednesday, the curfew was being imposed in view of the upcoming long weekend and in a bid to contain the latest COVID-19 outbreak that’s spreading “faster than before”.
“This is why health authorities are advising the public to minimize travel and to follow all health guidelines. We urge all the citizens of Sri Lanka to follow all protocols because the virus is spreading at a faster pace,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Government Information in its daily COVID-19 update on Wednesday, said 335 new cases were recorded up to 10:35 p.m., taking the country’s novel coronavirus tally to 9,250 and expanding the Minuwangoda/Peliyagoda cluster to 5,731.
Of Wednesday’s confirmed cases, 308 are directly linked to the Peliyagoda fish market cluster and 27 are from quarantine centres.
According to the Ministry of Health Sri Lanka has 5111 active cases being treated in hospitals, while 4075 have been deemed fully recovered and 19 have succumbed to the virus.
Earlier, Lt. Gen. Silva said the government had decided to direct all first contacts of COVID-19 patients to self-quarantine at their homes, adding that the government had also decided to provide them with supplies for the duration of their 14-day self-quarantine.
“We have already started the process, and supplies will be delivered to those households by the relevant police officers, PHIs or MOH officers,” Silva said on Wednesday.
-ENCL