Guidelines have been issued for the public to follow during the festive season.

Director General of Health Asela Gunawardena issued the guidelines and urged the public to follow them in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus during the festive season.

In the 10-point guideline, the public have been urged to reduce travel during the festive season.

The public have also been urged to ensure only one member of the family goes shopping and not all.

The Director General of Health has advised that items be purchased from the nearest available store and possibly when it is less crowded.

The public have been urged to refrain from family or friendly gatherings during the festive season, and to limit such gatherings to immediate family members.

Dr. Gunawardena advised the public to refrain from physical contact when greeting people for the festive season and to maintain social distancing at all times.

Stating that elderly people are prone to getting infected fast, the Director General of Health urged families to refrain from exposing elders in their family to large crowds and to limit visits by outsiders during this period.

Dr. Asela Gunawardena further said people have the right to inform people failing to maintain social distancing in public places or while standing in line to purchase goods to follow the procedure, in order to safeguard themselves.

The public have also been urged to use available online delivery services to purchase goods during the festive season. (Colombo Gazette)