Colombo, Aug. 20, (dpa/GNA) – Sri Lanka has imposed a nine-day curfew effective from Friday night as a fresh measure to control the spread of Covid-19 amid mounting cases and deaths, officials announced on Friday.
The country-wide curfew will come into effect from 10 pm (GMT 1630) on Friday until August 30, Army Commander General Shavendra Silva said.
During that period only essential services will operate, including certain factories and the country’s airport and port.
The move came as the daily number of Covid-19 deaths reached 160 in the past week, while the average number of new daily cases was over 3,500.
However, health workers say that the actual death toll and number of new cases are widely under reported.
The decision to introduce a prolonged curfew was taken after a determined campaign by opposition parties, trade unions and the clergy who have been calling for a lockdown as health officials struggled to cope with rising case numbers.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his government strongly opposed a lockdown claiming that it would affect the livelihoods of too many people and could lead to an economic crisis.
The government last week introduced certain restrictions affecting travel between provinces, weddings and public events and the number of diners allowed in restaurants, but the measures were not sufficient to reduce the number of cases.
Crematorium employees have been working overtime as the Covid-19 death toll reached 6,790 on Friday.
GNA