News
WP, Puttalam curfew extended till May 4; zone-based relaxation later
As the Government yesterday extended the curfew in the Western Province and the Puttlam district until May 4, plans have been drawn to open different zones on varying days thereafter.
In all other districtsm the curfew which will be lifted at 5.00 a.m. tomorrow will be reimposed at 8 p.m. the same day. A similar plan will be effective daily until Friday May 1.
Under the plan for the Western Province, some of the congested areas, including areas of cluster houses, will continue to remain closed because the areas are considered high risk.
The plan was due to come into effect this week, but has been differed in view of the detection of more COVID-19 patients from Colombo, especially from areas where cluster houses are located.
“The objective of the plan will be to confine persons of one area in the same locality, instead of allowing them to move around to other areas,” an official associated with the COVID19 Task Force said.
He said a similar zone-based plan would be drawn to the Western Province’s other districts — the Gampaha and Kalutara districts.
Health Ministry Secretary Badhrani Jayawardena told the Sunday Times that the introduction of zones would be an easy system to control the spread of the virus.
She said steps were being taken to step up the PCR tests in areas where the low-income groups reside.
Amidst threats of the virus spreading in areas of cluster homes such as Bandaranayake Mw at Hulftsdorp in Colombo, the government is looking at relocating nearly 2,000 such families.
The Urban Development Authority (UDA) is planning to resettle 2,000 families in housing schemes which have been completed in Colombo, but not distributed among people.
UDA Chairman Prasanna Ranawera said that initially 1,600 families could be resettled in the schemes located within Colombo city limits.
The move came as 15 more COVID 19 patients were detected yesterday raising the number detected to 435.
Seven of the new patients who were detected were residence of Bandaranayaka Mw, Colombo 12. They are currently at the Kandakadu quarantine camp. Four others were from the Welisara Navy camp.
Meanwhile, the Government is trying to revive the factories and industries which have been shut down. Already some of the Katunayake Free Trade Zone factories have begun operations, but some of them were facing difficulties in obtaining the labour.
| NIC-based travel restrictions when curfew is lifted The Government has tightened restrictions on the movement of people in areas where curfew is lifted by introducing a national identity card based system. Accordingly, only people with identity card numbers ending with one or two can go out on Monday. Persons with NIC numbers ending with three and four are allowed to go out on Tuesday, five and six on Wednesday, seven and eight on Thursday and nine and zero on Friday. The curfew will be effective in these areas on Saturday and Sunday. | |