Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 travel restrictions extended to June 14

Sri Lanka’s ongoing COVID-19 travel restriction that were to be lifted at 4am June 07  will be extended till June 14, Army Commander General Shavendra Silva said.

The decision to impose travel restrictions instead of a blanket curfew came as the country reported a surge in the number of infections in its third wave of coronavirus infections.

Since mid April every day, the island nation has been recording a record number of infections.

Sri Lankan government has imposed islandwide travel restrictions from 11pm May 21 to 4am June 07 in an effort to contain rapidly rising daily COVID-19 cases.

All Island travel restrictions was previously set to include a 19-hour window on  May 31 and June 04 for the public to purchase essentials, but this concession was scrapped on May 28 following a discussion with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the army Commander General Shavendra Silva said at the time.

Silva further said on May 28 that divisional secretaries have been instructed to coordinate the delivery of essential items to households across the island. It is assumed that this will continue till June 14.

Sri Lanka has so far reported 189,241 cases of coronavirus while the number of deaths due to it stands at 1,527.