Health authorities and the Police urged the public in Western Province to stay at home suspending all non-essential travelling, gatherings, meetings and other activities to help contain the spread of COVID-19.

This is with the Quarantine Curfew being imposed in the entire Western Province with effect from midnight yesterday.

Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera observed that there was a danger of the COVID-19 virus spreading fast in the Province and he urged the public to support the efforts to bring the situation under control. The public have been strongly advised to cancel any excursions or pilgrimages they had planned for the long weekend.

All shops, service centres and economic centres within the Province will be closed in the Province during the Curfew.

The Police said the Vehicular movement along the Expressways have also been restricted during the period of the curfew. However, such restrictions will not apply to essential services. Vehicles traveling from Kadawatha and Kottawa will be stopped at Welipenna and no vehicle will be permitted to enter Colombo via the Southern Expressway from Matara and Hambantota.

The quarantine curfew will be lifted at 5am on Monday (2) for areas which are not placed under quarantine curfew, before it came into effect on October 29. The time-table to open pharmacies and grocery stores as announced on Tuesday will resume again after November 2.

The health authorities also made a request to limit the number of people at religious activities to less than 50 even in areas where the Curfew is not imposed.

Nuwara Eliya District Secretary Rohana Pushpakumara requested the public to refrain from making visits to the Nuwara Eliya area during the long weekend.

He said 30 people have contracted the COVID-19 virus in the district and therefore, it was not wise to make trips to the area, adding that all tourist attractions in the district have been closed considering the prevailing situation.

Police Media Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana said that no person other than those involved in essential services will be allowed to cross the district boundary during the curfew period. He said roadblocks have been set up at the exit and entrance points in the Western Province.

“The aim behind this curfew is to prevent infected persons within the Western Province from leaving to other areas. Some are allowed to leave under special reasons. All others are requested to stay at home,” he said.