Sri Lanka declares islandwide curfew amid COVID-19 outbreak

The Sri Lankan government declared a nationwide curfew which will begin at 6:00 p.m. Friday and end at 6:00 a.m. local time Monday to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the island country.

In a statement, the President's office urged all Sri Lankans to abide by the curfew and stay indoors.

On Thursday, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced a seven-day work-from-home rule starting Friday in a bid to urge everyone to stay indoors.

Government officials said the rule will remain in place till March 27.

Sri Lanka has so far confirmed 59 COVID-19 patients while over 230 are under observation in designated hospitals across the country.