<p>Sri Lanka will reimpose selective lockdown restrictions from Sunday to restrict large gatherings after recording its biggest daily surge in coronavirus infections -- most found in citizens repatriated last week from Kuwait.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-in-india-news-live-updates-total-cases-deaths-covid-19-tracker-today-worldometer-update-lockdown-40-latest-news-838583.html">Track live updates on coronavirus here</a></strong></p>.<p>The island nation on Tuesday lifted a shutdown on the capital and a neighbouring district, two weeks after easing it in other parts of the nation.</p>.<p>But after more than 250 returnees from Kuwait were found to be infected with coronavirus, authorities decided to impose lockdowns on days when crowds were likely to form -- including the planned funeral of a popular minister.</p>.<p>The health ministry said that out of 460 Sri Lankans who returned from Kuwait this week, some 252 had tested positive for coronavirus.</p>.<p>All the returnees were being held in quarantine.</p>.<p>Officials said the lockdown will apply on Sunday, the day of the funeral of tea plantation trade union leader and government minister Arumugam Thondaman, who died Tuesday.</p>.<p>Tens of thousands of mourners from his Ceylon Workers Congress party had been expected to attend.</p>.<p>It will then be lifted until Thursday, when it will be imposed again for two days to coincide with a Buddhist holiday.</p>.<p>Under lockdown restrictions, no-one is allowed to leave home unless they are involved in essential services.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/coronavirus-updates-cases-deaths-country-wise-worldometers-info-data-covid-19-834531.html#1">COVID-19 Pandemic Tracker: 15 countries with the highest number of coronavirus cases, deaths</a></strong></p>.<p>Officials said new cases of coronavirus were also found at a navy camp outside Colombo.</p>.<p>Some 771 sailors and their immediate family members have so far tested positive from the facility, out of a nationwide total of 1,469 cases.</p>.<p>Ten people have died from the virus, including a woman who returned from Kuwait last week.</p>.<p>Officials said they were scaling back repatriations in order not to overwhelm facilities.</p>.<p>"It is not easy to increase quarantine capacity overnight," government spokesman Bandula Gunawardana told reporters.</p>.<p>"We are also building hospital capacity to bring back more Sri Lankans who are stranded abroad."</p>.<p>Some 41,000 of around 1.5 million Sri Lankans employed abroad have registered with authorities asking to return home.</p>
<p>Sri Lanka will reimpose selective lockdown restrictions from Sunday to restrict large gatherings after recording its biggest daily surge in coronavirus infections -- most found in citizens repatriated last week from Kuwait.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-in-india-news-live-updates-total-cases-deaths-covid-19-tracker-today-worldometer-update-lockdown-40-latest-news-838583.html">Track live updates on coronavirus here</a></strong></p>.<p>The island nation on Tuesday lifted a shutdown on the capital and a neighbouring district, two weeks after easing it in other parts of the nation.</p>.<p>But after more than 250 returnees from Kuwait were found to be infected with coronavirus, authorities decided to impose lockdowns on days when crowds were likely to form -- including the planned funeral of a popular minister.</p>.<p>The health ministry said that out of 460 Sri Lankans who returned from Kuwait this week, some 252 had tested positive for coronavirus.</p>.<p>All the returnees were being held in quarantine.</p>.<p>Officials said the lockdown will apply on Sunday, the day of the funeral of tea plantation trade union leader and government minister Arumugam Thondaman, who died Tuesday.</p>.<p>Tens of thousands of mourners from his Ceylon Workers Congress party had been expected to attend.</p>.<p>It will then be lifted until Thursday, when it will be imposed again for two days to coincide with a Buddhist holiday.</p>.<p>Under lockdown restrictions, no-one is allowed to leave home unless they are involved in essential services.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/coronavirus-updates-cases-deaths-country-wise-worldometers-info-data-covid-19-834531.html#1">COVID-19 Pandemic Tracker: 15 countries with the highest number of coronavirus cases, deaths</a></strong></p>.<p>Officials said new cases of coronavirus were also found at a navy camp outside Colombo.</p>.<p>Some 771 sailors and their immediate family members have so far tested positive from the facility, out of a nationwide total of 1,469 cases.</p>.<p>Ten people have died from the virus, including a woman who returned from Kuwait last week.</p>.<p>Officials said they were scaling back repatriations in order not to overwhelm facilities.</p>.<p>"It is not easy to increase quarantine capacity overnight," government spokesman Bandula Gunawardana told reporters.</p>.<p>"We are also building hospital capacity to bring back more Sri Lankans who are stranded abroad."</p>.<p>Some 41,000 of around 1.5 million Sri Lankans employed abroad have registered with authorities asking to return home.</p>