The government has decided to extend the travel restrictions until the 07th of June to contain the current Covid situation. The decision was taken at a meeting with the Special Committee on COVID-19 chaired by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (24).
Travel restrictions will be relaxed from 4.00 am to 11.00 pm tomorrow (25). Accordingly, only a few selected retail outlets, pharmacies, fish, meat and vegetable shops, bakery outlets and fuel stations will be opened tomorrow (25). On the days the restrictions are relaxed, only one person from each household will be allowed to go to the nearest store to purchase essential items.
Liquor stores should be completely closed during the period of travel restrictions are imposed as well as when they are relaxed.
The mechanism where the last digit of the National Identity card was used to go out will not be in force tomorrow (25).
No one is allowed to go to the stores to buy consumer goods using vehicles under any circumstances.
Travel restrictions will be re-imposed from 11.00 pm tomorrow (25) to 4.00 am on May 31st.
Travel restrictions will be relaxed once again from 4.00 am to 11.00 pm on May 31st.
Travel restrictions that will be re-imposed on May 31st at 11.00 pm will remain in force until 4.00 am on June 4th.
Travel restrictions will be relaxed again on June 4th from 4.00 am to 11.00 pm.
Travel restrictions will be re-imposed at 11.00 pm on June 4th and will in effect until 4.00 am on June 7th.
The Army and Air Force will use drones to monitor individuals who violate travel restrictions on a daily basis.
Mobile trucks with essential food items will operate at divisional levels to facilitate essential food items distribution for the convenience of the public.
The hotline number '1965' is operational 24/7 to inform and coordinate information about the difficulties and inconveniences faced by the public.
The President also instructed the Government to implement a programme to purchase excess of vegetables harvest in the event the farmers fail to sell them at the divisional level.
During the travel restricted period, search operations will be carried out by the Police to ascertain whether the vehicles on the roads are indeed carrying out essential services.
Ministers Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Gamini Lokuge, Bandula Gunawardana, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Johnston Fernando, Ramesh Pathirana, Prasanna Ranatunga, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Namal Rajapaksa, State Ministers Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Channa Jayasumana, MP Madhura Withanage, Secretary to the President P.B. Jayasundera, Principal Advisor to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Secretaries to Ministries and Representatives of Line Departments were present at the discussion.
(President’s Media Division)