More than 50 persons working at the Dambulla Economic Centre without wearing face masks were arrested yesterday.

Among those arrested were businessmen, farmers and labourers of the Dambulla Economic Centre and they were apprehended due to not adhering to COVID regulations, the Police said.

The raid was carried out by the Dambulla Police in collaboration with the Health Division of the Dambulla Municipal Council yesterday.

Dambulla Mayor Jaliya Opatha said the raid was carried out to protect the Dambulla Economic Center, which is frequented by farmers and businessmen in every district where more than 70% of the island’s vegetable needs being traded there.

Dambulla Municipal Council chief PHI Priyantha de Silva said that two persons who were infected with the COVID-19 virus had recently entered the Dambulla Economic Center and had visited 80 shops without wearing face masks.

Accordingly, the raids will be carried out in future to protect the Economic Centre despite the fact that patients were not reported from PCR tests and persons who were arrested yesterday was handed over to the police for further legal action, he added.