(UTV | COLOMBO) – The lifting of travel restrictions today does not mean opening the country fully and certain restrictions and health guidelines will remain effective even after 4 a.m. today, Police Spokesman Senior DIG Ajith Rohana said.
He said the Police would deploy mobile patrols and foot patrols to inspect the situation and requested the public to respect their instructions. He said that roadblocks have also been set up to check vehicles and public movements. He added that more Police personnel would be deployed in civvies to monitor the situation.
With the conditional relaxation of prevailing travel restrictions around the country, the Health Ministry has issued new guidelines to be followed from today (21). Accordingly, the Ministry would take the decision of further increasing or relaxing of the travel restrictions following a thorough examination of the number of Covid-19 patients from a respective district. The restrictions have been relaxed in general for all provinces but certain restrictions will be imposed specifically on the Western Province.
Accordingly, Government and Private institutions should only summon the minimal number of employees needed for the office work and those who have facilities to Work From Home (WFH) must be allowed to do so.
Supervisors, managers and administrators of shopping complexes, supermarkets and other shops and offices are requested to implement a mechanism to make sure COVID-19 rules and regulations are respected at their premises. Only a limited number of persons should be taken in at a time, and the rest should be lined up in front of the shop. However, shopping malls in the Western Province will remain closed.
Hand washing facilities should be provided and a person should be assigned to check body temperature at the entrance. Social distancing should be followed and everybody should wear a face mask. Drivers and conductors of the public transport services must make sure that the number of passengers inside a bus or train carriage is limited to the seating capacity. All passengers must wear face masks. Only two members of a household can go out in the period that travel restrictions are relaxed while a three wheeler can carry only three persons including the driver.
The public is not allowed to cross the provincial borders without a special reason and that rule is strictly implemented. About 14 road blocks have been set up at entry and exit points to the Western Province and similar roadblocks are set up at other provinces too. People are not allowed to go on trips or pilgrimages. Public gatherings, parties, workshops and other meetings are prohibited. Crowding at public places is not allowed. There will be special checks on these guidelines.
Industry and agriculture can function within health guidelines. All economic centres will also be open for wholesale trade. All retail shops and supermarkets can also be opened. Liquor stores, bars, gyms, clubs, cinemas, betting centres, restaurants, spas, casinos and places of worship will remain closed. Wedding receptions cannot be held, but marriage registrations are allowed with 10 people in attendance including the bride and groom. All non-COVID funerals can be held within 24 hours, with the participation of 15 persons. Hairdressers and salons can admit and serve only one person at a time.
Within the period in which quarantine regulations were implemented, a total of 40,600 persons had been arrested for breaching the said regulations. On Saturday, the Police arrested 1,082 persons for violating the Quarantine regulations. The majority of those arrests were from Matale, Kandy and Kuliyapitiya. In addition, 12 persons had been arrested for similar offences through drone operations in Keselwatta and Maradana in Colombo on the same day. A total of 143 persons had been arrested for violating the Quarantine Law following drone operations. Meanwhile, 24 Grama Niladhari Divisions across 12 Districts will be isolated from 4 a.m. today. Those areas are Yatihena, Siyabalapewattha and Nahena in the Gampaha District, Nava Walathapitiya Village in the Ampara District, Eravur 02, Meeravodi East Meeravodi West and Manchcholai Baduriya in the Batticaloa District, Dapane, Kelandagala GN Division Mullekanda Watta and Kottala in the Ratnapura District, Maha Waskaduwa South, Minnerithanna Tsunami Village in the Kalutara District, Savatkaddu J/131 in the Jaffna District, Nikagolla, Nikagolla North, Kiulawadiya and Guruwela in the Matale District Marakkalagama in the Puttalam District, Karolena State Kadawala Watta Area in the Nuwara Eliya District, Gonagala GN Bolthuduwa Village in the Galle District, Palana South in the Matara District and Aramaya area 66 Watta in Dematagoda in the Colombo District. Accordingly, the lifting of travel restrictions will not apply to those areas.
At the same time, the isolation of 82 Grama Niladhari Divisions across 12 Districts will be lifted at 4 a.m. today. The travel restrictions will be reimposed at 10 p.m. on June 23 until 4 a.m. on June 25.