No intention as yet to lock Western Province during Christmas weekend

• Situation now depends on public behaviour within next 7 days
• Situation will be reviewed again next week
• All major clusters have been closed 
• Colombo continues to record the highest number of daily patients

By JAMILA HUSAIN

 There is no intention of imposing any travel restrictions to enter or leave the Western Province or impose a curfew or lockdown of the city or province during the long Christmas weekend, as yet, Army Commander and Head of the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19, Lt. General Shavendra Silva told Daily Mirror yesterday.

He, however, said the situation will be reviewed again as there was a week more for the festive weekend but if the existing pattern continues, there will be no restrictions imposed. 

“But this is all in the hands of the people, how they behave within the next seven days,” Silva said. 
Commenting on the existing COVID-19 situation in Colombo, Silva said some areas had shown a drastic improvement and out of the 13 housing schemes which were isolated, 10 housing schemes had been lifted from the lockdown this week. The remaining three will also likely have the isolation status lifted within the next 72 hours.
Silva said authorities had managed to close all the major clusters which had erupted and the prison cluster would also be closed very soon. But he urged for public assistance to maintain all health guidelines in order to prevent more clusters from forming. 

“The Atalugama cluster also could have closed at around 10 patients. But now it has gone beyond 400 to 500. It is because the people did not cooperate. Now Atalugama has spread to another neighbouring village. In many places, people are not behaving,” Silva said.

Till last evening, the Punani Treatment Centre had nearly 700 positive patients, followed by the Neville Fernando Hospital which had over 450 patients and the Kandakadu Treatment Centre which had over 440 patients.
Colombo continues to record the highest number of daily patients. 

• Public assistance sort to prevent more clusters from forming