Sri Lanka imposes nationwide lockdown amid virus surge

Lockdown will be in effect until Aug. 30, says health minister

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) – Sri Lanka will enter a nationwide lockdown starting Friday night to stem an ongoing surge in COVID-19 infections.

The lockdown will continue until Aug. 30, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said in a brief statement.

“All essential services will function as normal. I sincerely request all citizens to adhere to the law and #StayHome,” he said on Twitter.

The island nation reported 3,806 infections a day earlier, raising the overall tally to 373,165, including 6,790 fatalities.

Around 12 million people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in Sri Lanka, according to the minister.

“This is a true testament to the great work done by the health authorities since vaccine availability and our frontline workers,” Rambukwella said.

Sri Lanka is currently administering the Sinovac, Sinopharm, Pfizer, Sputnik, and AstraZeneca vaccines.

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