Govt. dispels rumors that Colombo to come under lockdown

The Health Ministry dispelled rumors that Colombo city or any other province will come under a lock down following a rise in the number of COVID-19 patients, but added that preventive measures were being updated on a daily basis.
"As of now there is no truth to Colombo being locked down. However our medical teams are closely monitoring the situation here and are making decisions which will benefit the citizens and prevent a public spread of the virus," an official from the Health Ministry said.
A source from the President's Office also denied the rumors stating that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had informed SAARC Leaders yesterday that he would ensure that the daily life of Sri Lanka citizens continue as most of those who were testing positive were in the quarantine centers.
"The President is aware that a majority of those who are testing positive are nationals who are returning from Italy in the quarantine centers. So upto now there has been no decision taken to lock down Colombo or any other province," the source said.
The number of COVID-19 patients yesterday evening rose to 18 with the Health Ministry stating that more positive cases were likely to be reported in the coming days with the increasing number of Sri Lankan nationals returning from Italy and South Korea.
Over 4000 people are under self quarantine in their homes and monitored by public health inspectors.(Jamila Husian)