Sri Lanka has partially relaxed curbs imposed in the country to check the novel Coronavirus spread in a bid to boost economic activity.

In a release, the President's Media Division (PMD) said the Coronavirus curfew will be lifted from April 20 onwards in all districts, excepting select areas, from 5 am to 8 pm.



The curfew will continue in parts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Puttalam, Kandy, Kegalle and Ampara districts.



President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said today that the objective of relaxing curfew is to reactivate the economy, while measures to contain COVID-19 will continue in parallel. It is imperative to adhere to health guidelines and act responsibly for the safety of society at large. Once the curfew is relaxed, state entities like departments, corporations and banks should operate as usual.



Only one-third of the total workforce of state organisations in Colombo district should report to work. Similarly, 50 per cent of staff should report to work in State organisations in other districts.

The novel Coronavirus, which originated in China's Wuhan city last December, claimed over 1 lakh 60,000 lives and infected over 3.7 million people across the world so far. In Sri Lanka, the virus has killed 7 people with 254 confirmed infections.