Nominations close at noon on Thursday

Accepting nominations of candidates for the forthcoming parliamentary election will conclude at 12:00 noon on Thursday at respective District Secretariats of the 22 electoral districts.

Thirty-five returnees go missing in Matara

Thirty-five out of 277 residents in the Matara District who had returned to Sri Lanka from several countries have gone missing, Matara District Health Services Director Dr. Upali Karunaratne said yesterday at a special meeting held at the Matara District Secretariat.

Opposition MPs seek postponement of nomination, polling dates

Three Opposition MPs in a letter addressed to Elections Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya have requested him to postpone the date for calling nominations and the holding of the general elections considering the chaos caused by COVID- 19.

Govt. declares 3-day holiday till Thursday

The government announced a three-day holiday period upto Thursday, March 19 excluding essential services involving health, transport, food supplies, banks and district secretariats.

General Elections should be postponed: Rathana Thera

While deciding to contest the upcoming General Election under the political party ’Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya’, former MP Athuraliye Rathana Thera, Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera and several other Buddhist monks requested the government to postpone the elections considering the COVID epidemic.

GMOA proposes govt. to shutting down of airport, harbours

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) in a letter to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today has proposed drastic measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic including the shutting down of all airports and harbours with immediate effect.

Don’t be deceived by social media posts: Ayurveda Dept.

The Ayurveda Department today cautioned the public not to be deceived by various social media posts about Ayurvedic cures for COVID-19 saying there was no such remedy for the viral infection except for immune-boosting spices or herbs like ginger and coriander.

SL passengers who returned from Europe, Iran, S. Korea asked to register with police

The Defence Ministry today requested all Sri Lankan passengers who returned from Europe, Iran or South Korea to register themselves at the nearest police station immediately.

SriLankan Airlines officer tested positive

A First Officer of SriLankan Airlines tested positive for Coronavirus and some of the staff members asked to undergo self-quarantine process, SriLankan Airlines said.

Six more COVID-19 patients diagnosed: Total rises to 28

Six more persons had been diagnosed positive for COVID-19 infection, bringing the total confirmed cases to 28, Director General of Health Anil Jasinghe said.

Electricity supply to several areas disrupted

The Electricity supply to several areas of the country has been disrupted this evening due to lightning strike, Director of Development at the Ministry of Power and Energy Sulakshana Jayawardena told Daily Mirror.

NIC one-day service suspended until further notice

The Department for Registration of Persons (DRP) had decided to suspend issuing National Identity Cards under one-day service scheme from tomorrow until further notice, DRP Commissioner-General Viyani Gunathilaka said.

COVID-19 syndrome; NPP to meet EC Chairman

While claiming that the prevailing situation in the country is not conducive to hold the General Election due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the National Peoples’ Power (NPP) Party said today it is planning to meet the Elections Commission Chairman to discuss the current situation.

22nd Corona patient identified

A 73-year-old man who was receiving treatment at the Karapitiya Hospital has been tested positive for the virus bringing the total number of patients to 22.

Holiday will not be extended: Govt.

The government has decided not to extend the holiday declared due to the spread of the Coronavirus, Public Administration and Home Affairs Ministry Secretary S. Hettiarachchi said today.

Three more Covid patients diagnosed: Total rises to 21

Three more persons, including a 13-year-old girl had been diagnosed positive for Covid-19 infection, bringing the total confirmed cases to 21, Director General of Health Anil Jasinghe said.

Don’t trust cures published on Social Media: Ayurveda Dept.

The Department of Ayurveda has requested people not to be deceived by the recipes published on social media claiming to be Ayurvedic cure for COVID-19.

Two arrested over spreading false info on COVID-19

Two individuals have been arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for spreading false information on Coronavirus via social media, Police said.

BASL urges Prez to close courts from March 17-20

The Bar Association Sri Lanka (BASL) has requested President Gotabaya Rajapaksa take action to close all Court Houses in the country from March 17 to March 20 as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Several examinations called off due to COVID-19

The Department of Examinations has announced that several examinations including the Dhamma School Final Examination, Written Examination for Official Languages Proficiency - Level I, II, III and IV scheduled to be held in March have been postponed indefinitely.

No issuance of driving license until March 31

All services related to the issuance of driving license at the Werahera Branch and other district offices would be suspended until March 31, the Department of Motor Traffic said.

11 museums closed until further notice

The Ministry of Buddhasasana Cultural and Religious Affairs has decided to close all museums until further notice due to Covid-19 outbreak.

Use online sources to lodge complaints: CERT|CC

The Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT|CC) today requested the general public to lodge their complaints through E-mails, (CERT|CC) Information Security Engineer Ravindu Meegasmulla said.

Visit eye hospital only for essential services: Director

National Eye Hospital has advised People not to visit the hospital, except for essential services such as accidents and clinical attention etc. due to the threat posed by COVID-19 outbreak.

SLC foreign coaching staff staying back

Sri Lanka’s foreign coaching staff has decided to stay back, for the time being at least, in Colombo, despite the cancellation of the home Test series against England due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Indian court convicts Lankan of espionage

A special NIA court in India has jailed a Sri Lankan national for five years and fined Rs 20,000 after convicting him for spying on Indian defence installations at the behest of Pakistan intelligence officers as part of a conspiracy to carry out terrorist attacks in the country.

Hi-tech coronavirus surveillance system

The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) was in the process of finalising a hi-tech system over the weekend to monitor coronavirus patients and those who had any form of interactions with them.

Govt. fully geared to tackle coronavirus: Defence Secretary

Defence Secretary Maj. Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne said the government was fully geared to ensure the protection of the country’s 21.4 million population from coronavirus or COVID-19, today.

Coronavirus hits the construction industry

The construction industry is facing a dire situation as a result of the inability of importing certain materials essential for the industry from China after the outbreak of COVID-19 and the government’s failure to pay a huge amount of money that it owes to the industry, industry sources said.

No decision to postpone A/L exams: Exam. Commissioner

While rejecting rumours spreading on social media, the Commissioner of Examinations said that no decision had taken to postpone the GCE A/L 2020 examination to November.