Colombo: Sri Lanka on Friday expanded its national locking until September 6, in the midst of a surge in the number of Covid-19 deaths and increased pressure from medical and opposition officers to increase efforts against the third wave of Coronavirus.
The government took the decision after a meeting of top level held on Friday.
President Sri Lanka Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has ordered 10 days locking on August 20.
“The current curfew will continue until 4 am on Monday, September 6,” said Minister of Health Lehya Rambukwella told reporters.
The government has noticed that people have not considered the curfew seriously, he said, advising that people had to refrain from an unnecessary trip and work from home while fainting with curfew.
Calls for extensions from locking have come from the opposition and community health supervisors.
Health unions have complained that the locking ongoing curfew in the form of quarantine has been observed with a very relaxed manner with the formation of large traffic seen in the cities.
The government says that the lockout will adversely affect the economy and urged the public to get vaccinated.
Sri Lanka, who has witnessed a series of locking and curfew to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the country, has been influenced in terms of its economy.
The tourism sector, which produces large amounts of revenue for the island state, has decreased a drastic decline.
Friday’s announcement came after Sri Lanka recorded 209 deaths on Wednesday, the highest daily toll from the beginning of the pandemic.
On Thursday, Sri Lanka has recorded 8,157 deaths while the total infection reached 412,370.
More than 7,500 deaths have been recorded in the ongoing third wave since April 15, the Ministry of Health said, adding that 1,172 deaths had come from August 21 to Thursday.