COLOMBO, Oct 1 (NNN-XINHUA) – Sri Lanka’s Army Commander, Gen. Shavendra Silva, said yesterday that, the inter-province travel ban will remain in place until further notice, despite the nationwide quarantine curfew being lifted from today.
Silva said, no citizen would be allowed to cross the provinces, in a bid to prevent a further spread of COVID-19.
Security guards will be deployed on all borders of the provinces and no one will be allowed to go through, except essential workers and those employed in certain sectors, including construction and tourism.
State Minister of Transport, Dilum Amunugama, said, inter-province train and bus services will continue to be suspended for another two weeks, till permission is granted by health workers.
Amunugama said, the Transport Ministry had been advised not to resume train services, due to lack of seats in compartments, and most commuters travel by trains standing.
Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, on Wednesday, instructed authorities to lift the ongoing nationwide quarantine curfew on Oct 1 (today), as the country saw a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases.
Silva told Xinhua that the nationwide curfew would be lifted today, under the President’s directive, but health guidelines would be issued accordingly.
A nationwide quarantine curfew came into effect on Aug 20, as the country faced a rapid third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, triggered by the highly contagious Delta variant, health officials said.
The country has to date detected 516,465 COVID-19 cases with 12,847 deaths.– NNN-XINHUA
