COLOMBO, Aug 28 (NNN-XINHUA) – Sri Lanka’s Health Minister, Keheliya Rambukwella, said, a nationwide quarantine imposed last week will be extended till Sept 6, to contain COVID-19.
Rambukwella said, the nationwide curfew will be lifted on Sept 6 at 4:00 a.m. and urged people to refrain from unnecessary travel.
“Following an observation that Sri Lankan citizens have not taken the curfew to heart, in order for this to be effective, I implore again to refrain from unnecessary travel, work from home, and abide by the curfew,” Rambukwella said.
The decision to extend the nationwide quarantine curfew was taken, following a meeting held by the COVID-19 Task Force with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, earlier yesterday.
The quarantine curfew was initially imposed on Aug 20, and was to be lifted on Aug 30. However, officials said, a decision was taken to further extend it, following recommendations by the health sector.
Sri Lanka is facing a rapid rise in COVID-19 infections with 412,370 infected patients detected and 8,157 deaths since Mar, last year.
Health workers said, the rise in infections in recent weeks was from the Delta variant, with the capital, Colombo, being the epicentre of the variant.
Hospitals have been filled with patients, while crematoriums are also working round the clock to cremate the dead.
Health workers warned that the situation may reach its peak in two weeks, and urged people to stay indoors as much as possible.– NNN-XINHUA
