N’Eliya April Spring Festival Cancelled

By Ranjith Rajapakse and Shelton Hettiarachchi

The Annual April festival held in Nuwara Eliya  organised by the Nuwara Eliya Municipal Council will not be held this year in view of the prevailing threat of the COVID-19 Pandemic.  

Central Province Governor Lalith U Gamage told the media that no permission will be granted to proceed with the April Festival or any other festival thereby preventing  any possible threat to public health and safety.  
He pointed out that the Nuwara Eliya April festival had been held from April 1st to the 25th every year, but the prevailing health situation would not permit it this year.  

Meanwhile the Governor instructed the health authorities and the senior police officials in the district to quarantine the 966 Free Trade Zone employees who had arrived in the district. He told a meeting at the District Secretariat that the majority of the FTZ employees who returned to the district recently were residents of the highly populated estate houses. He stressed the need to crack down on illicit liqour dens in the estates and to take action against restaurants selling liquor illegally.   

 Nuwara Eliya Govt. Agent Rohana Pushapakumara, Secretary to the Central Province Ministry of Health B.M.N. Jayawickreme, Provincial Director of Health Arjuna Tilakaratne DIG Chandana Atukorala and several senior police and Air Force officials attended.