COLOMBO (UCAN): The government of Sri Lanka government imposed a police curfew in several areas, while Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake, was closed to arriving passengers from March 19 for one week to control the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The curfew was imposed in Puttalam, Anamaduwa, Kalpitiya, Karuwalagaswewa, Mundalama, Nawagattegama, Pallama, Vanathavilluwa, Udappuwa, Saliyawewa, Norochcholai and Kochchikade police divisions on March 18.
The Catholic Church cancelled Masses and other services at all parishes including Sunday schools. All government schools and universities are closed until April 20, while March 16 to 19 was declared a public holiday. All nightclubs, betting centres and massage parlours in the country were also closed with immediate effect.
Deputy inspector general of police, Ajith Rohana, said people who had arrived from virus-stricken Italy, South Korea and Iran have avoided quarantine in Sri Lanka. He requested the public to inform police if they know of any persons hiding in the country who should be under quarantine.
Sudarshana Saparamadu, a government officer and Catholic Sunday school teacher in Negombo, said people are staying at home.
He said that people who arrived recently from Italy had been seen moving around. “Our neighbours informed the police to avoid risk to our children,” he said.
The first coronavirus case reported in Sri Lanka was a Chinese tourist who was hospitalised in January and fully recovered.
Marawila’s district judge has issued an injunction order preventing 65 people, who had returned from several countries including Italy, from leaving their homes for 14 days. Meanwhile, about 1,200 Sri Lankan Buddhist pilgrims have visited India in recent weeks. More than 300 have been detained at the Maha Bodhi Centre in New Delhi. Sri Lanka’s government is sending a special aircraft to India to bring them home.
Buddhist monks are conducting week-long prayers to combat the growing threat of the deadly virus.
“We recite the Rathana Suthraya for a week, through which we hope that not only Sri Lanka but the entire world will be blessed in combating coronavirus,” said one monk, Venerable Warakagoda Gnanarathana Thera.
The National Action Centre for Prevention of Covid-19 has decided to ban travel and group travel in Sri Lanka with immediate effect.
China has provided a concessionary loan of $3.8 billion (US$500 million) to help Sri Lanka respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Let us be compassionate toward anyone who has contracted the virus and help direct the person to the health authorities and caregivers to restore the person’s health and voluntarily seek treatment ourselves on the slightest suspicion of being infected by it,” the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka, Bishop Winston Fernando and secretary, J.D. Anthony, said in a statement on March 18.
“Covid-19 is not a respecter of personages and no one is spared,” they said.
As of March 25, 101,003 people have recovered from Covid-19, while 18,100 people have died. Meanwhile, there are 387,047 confirmed Covid-19 cases worldwide, with mainland China and Italy the worst affected. Sri Lanka has reported 97 cases of infection but no deaths.
