Three towns on outskirts of Colombo in lockdown as COVID-19 spread persists

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan authorities imposed lockdown on three towns on the outskirts of the capital to contain the spread of COVID-19 during the festive season, according to The Associated Press.

Kosgama, Awissawella and Ruwanwella, about 60 km east of Colombo, were locked down from Thursday noon.

Lockdowns have been applied in dozens of towns and villages since a resurgence of the coronavirus in the Indian Ocean island nation in October, according to The Associated Press.

Schools and key public offices have been closed, public gatherings banned and restrictions imposed on public transport.

The two clusters that emerged in October — one centered on a garment factory and other on a fish market — account for most of Sri Lanka’s outbreak.

The confirmed cases from the two clusters have grown near 35,000 on Thursday. Sri Lanka’s total since March is nearing 39,000.