Western Province under lockdown over weekend following increase in COVID-19 cases

Quarantine curfew will be in effect in the Western Province from 12 midnight today to 5 a.m. on Monday in efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 following an increase in patients this week.

Accordingly, all 112 Police jurisdictions in the Western Province will be under lockdown over the long weekend along with five Police jurisdictions in the Kurunegala District. However, curfew will be relaxed on Monday only in areas that were not under lockdown prior to today.

Thus, the quarantine curfew already in effect in 63 Police jurisdictions in the Western Province and five in the Kurunegala District and will remain unchanged until further notice.

While curfew is enforced from Friday to Monday, persons will not be permitted to enter the Western Province nor exit it. Special roadblocks will be set up at all entry points to the Western Province, the Sri Lanka Police said yesterday, adding that travel restrictions will be imposed on the expressway as well.

According to Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana, only ambulance, disaster management and essential services will be permitted to leave or enter the province while curfew is in place. Restrictions will also not apply to students sitting for the Advanced Level Examination as well as staff of examination centres.

Factories in the Western Province, especially those belonging to the manufacturing sector, will be permitted to operate with a special permit and adherence to safety guidelines and standards.

All events that were to be held between Friday and Monday will be cancelled and persons travelling to the Western Province tonight have been requested to plan their journey so that they will be not required to make any stops midway due to curfew being in place after midnight.

Grocery stores and pharmacies in all areas where curfew is already enforced will be permitted to operate until 10 p.m. today and persons are advised to visit, by foot, the outlets closest to them and adhere to safety guidelines.

Additional Police officers in civil attire will be deployed to ensure guidelines are adhered to, DIG Ajith Rohana said, adding that 165 persons were arrested in Gampaha when curfew was last relaxed to allow the public to visit grocery stores and pharmacies.