Sri Lanka extends COVID-19 lockdown till September 13
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Friday extended its nationwide lockdown till September 13, amidst a surge in the number of COVID-19 deaths and mounting pressure on the healthcare system during the third wave of coronavirus.
Sri Lankan President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had ordered a 10-day lockdown on August 20.
The decision to extend the lockdown was taken following the COVID taskforce meeting with President Gotabhaya on Friday, officials said.
Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that the lockdown will continue for another 7 day period till September 13.
The lockdown extended from August 30 was due to end on September 6.
Having resisted calls from the medical fraternity to order an island-wide lockdown the government finally relented by announcing the lockdown originally on August 20.
The calls became stronger as the current third wave surged bringing immense pressure on the healthcare system.
While the hospitals' ICU care facilities were overwhelmed, dead bodies kept piling at morgues for cremation.
There are over 200 deaths on a daily basis since mid-August.
Over 447,000 infections have been recorded since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
The WHO independent group of local experts last week said that nearly 90 per cent of samples sequenced confirmed to be the deadly Delta variant.
The group reported that extending the lockdown would help save 7,500 to 10,000 lives by their estimation.
As of Thursday, over 9,600 people have died due to the coronavirus and a total number of infections stood at 447,757.
Sri Lanka, which has witnessed a series of lockdowns and curfews to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country, has been impacted in terms of its economy.
The tourism sector, which generates a huge quantum of revenue for the island nation, has seen a drastic fall.