The Government has so far not taken any decision to extend the travel restrictions currently in place beyond June 7, said Chief of Defence Staff, Army Commander and Head, National Operations Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) General Shavendra Silva.
The Head of NOCPCO said, “There are rumours being circulated that the Government had decided to extend the travel ban. This is not true and the public should be cautious regarding such false WhatsApp messages being circulated. In the event we decide to extend the travel ban, it would be notified to the public through the mainstream news channels and the Government Information Department. Now almost all the mainstream news channels run their breaking news operations and within minutes the news would be aired in the event such a decision is taken by the government. Hence, people should trust only in such credible news sources and not unverified messages that are circulated.”
The Army Commander said that the situation will be monitored and discussed with medical experts and the relevant institutions, adding that the situation would be monitored over the next few days before a final decision is taken on whether or not to extend the travel restriction beyond June 7.
He said that the impact of the measures taken by the Government at present will only manifest after June 10, adding that the current situation could be maintained at a stable level due to the action taken in May.
“The country still maintains a stable position at present due to the effective action taken by the Government,” he said dismissing criticism levelled by certain quarters regarding the involvement of military personnel.
“Despite criticism, we have managed to maintain a certain stable position in the country due to the action taken under the directives of the President,” the Commander added.
“The President has already notified the relevant Ministers and all other Heads of Institutions prior to imposing the lockdown to ensure that the state mechanism operates undisrupted during the lockdown period. The required mobile services are functioning uninterrupted to ensure that the people receive their requirements without any shortage,” General Silva said.
Meanwhile, 2,859 COVID-19 positive cases were identified by yesterday morning and 10 of them were those returning to the country from overseas and the rest of the cases were locally identified cases.
The highest number of infections was reported from Colombo which was 608. Further, 547 cases were detected from Gampaha, 447 from the Kalutara District and the rest were from other areas across the country.
The total number of COVID-19 infections in the country as of yesterday morning (31) stood at 183,451. Among those were 86,286 cases reported after the New Year season, according to NOCPCO.
