Sri Lanka imposes 10-day nationwide lockdown, warns of severe consequences if flouted

Given the rising COVID-19 cases in the country, the Sri Lankan Government has announced a 10-day nationwide lockdown on Friday, August 20. The President of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, while addressing the nation, warned the people about the consequences they might face if a lockdown is prolonged. He urged his countrymen to follow COVID appropriate measures and also highlighted the damage that a nationwide lockdown would cause to the country.

While addressing the nation on Friday, President Rajapaksa highlighted the situation of COVID across the country, and said, "At this crucial juncture, everyone should take the country forward strategically by acknowledging the gravity of the situation," reported PTI.

Sri Lankan government imposes 10-day nationwide lockdown

Earlier, President Rajapaksa had denied the request to impose a lockdown when the COVID-19 cases had overwhelmed the hospitals in the country. He argued that imposing a lockdown would weaken the economy of the country and the island nation may face a grave situation. However, he was forced to implement a nationwide shutdown as the death toll once again surged.

The arrival of the third wave of COVID-19 left the government with no choice other than lockdown. The government has observed that the majority of deaths are of unvaccinated people over the age of 60. Notably, this is the first time since mid-June that the country has re-imposed a nationwide shutdown. Meanwhile, out of the 21 million population, five million people have received both jabs of the COVID vaccine. During his address to the nation, Rajapaksa said, "All these efforts were made because I wanted to vaccinate all the people of our country. As a result of this effort, the country is now receiving a large number of vaccines." 

"At present, about 98 per cent of people above the age of 30 have been vaccinated, while 43 per cent have been given both doses. By August 31, more than 81 per cent of the population will receive the second dose. By September 10, 100 per cent of the population will receive both doses, "Rajapaksa asserted.

COVID situation in Sri Lanka

The COVID-19 cases in Sri Lanka are at a spike. The official data reveals that in the last 24 hours, as many as 195 people have died, toll fatality tallied to 6,985. While the country recorded 3,839 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the total number of infected people stands at 381,812.

(IMAGE: PTI/ TWITTER/REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE)
(With PTI Inputs)