Sri Lanka to ease coronavirus restrictions from May 26

Stranded citizens sit in a public ground waiting to board special buses organised by Sri Lanka police to transport them back to their hometowns after the government ended a lockdown which was imposed as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Kalutara some 43 km from Colombo on May 16, 2020. Credit: AFP Photo

Sri Lanka will ease the coronavirus lockdown restrictions from May 26, limiting the curfew hours from 10.00 pm to 4.00 am among other relaxations.

The curfew will be lifted during the day across the country, including hot-spot districts of Colombo and Gampaha, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's said in a statement.

The two districts were identified as coronavirus hot-spots and placed under round-the-clock curfew since March 20.

Inter-district movement will be permitted from Tuesday, except to Colombo and Gamapaha.

Though the curfew will be lifted during the day, social-distancing and other practices to check the spread of COVID-19 will be implemented strictly, officials said.

The coronavirus has claimed nine lives in the island nation with 1,068 confirmed cases.

This is the second round of curfew relaxations in the island-nation after certain changes were effected on May 11 to revive economic activity, as part of which employees of state and public sector companies were allowed to travel to work.

Senior police official Ajith Rohana said the curfew will be strictly enforced on Sunday and Monday. Id will held in Sri Lanka on Monday.

"There will be over 900 roadblocks during the curfew on both days," Rohana said.

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