Sri Lanka goes on new lockdown as COVID deaths surge

Sri Lanka goes on new lockdown as COVID deaths surge
Sri Lanka goes on new lockdown as COVID deaths surge
Avatar of Harry Johnson
Written by Harry Johnson

The island nations had to resort to drastic measures in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, as surging infections and deaths overwhelm Sri Lanka’s hospitals, morgues and crematoriums.

  • Sri Lanka announces new 10-day lockdown.
  • Sri Lanka’s new COVID-19 cases and deaths soar.
  • Spiking pandemic overwhelms Sri Lanka’s hospitals and morgues.

Sri Lanka was forced to bow to intense pressure from medical experts after it recorded its highest single-day COVID-19 death toll of 187 and 3,793 new cases on Wednesday and has announced a 10-day lockdown that starts tonight.

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Sri Lanka goes on new lockdown as COVID deaths surge

The island nations had to resort to drastic measures in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, as surging infections and deaths overwhelm Sri Lanka’s hospitals, morgues and crematoriums.

Sri Lanka has reported a total of 372,079 infections since the start of the outbreak last year, with 6,604 deaths. Health experts say the actual toll was at least twice as much.

“Nationwide Lockdown in effect from 10pm today (August 20) to Monday (August 30). All essential services will function as normal,” Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said on Twitter.

A junior minister for health, Channa Jayasumana, had called the Delta variant of the virus “a powerful bomb which has exploded in Colombo and is spreading elsewhere”.

Medical professionals, religious leaders, politicians and businessmen have called for an immediate nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of infections.

Warning that hospitals and morgues were reaching their maximum capacities, doctors and trade unions repeatedly urged the government to impose a lockdown.

Sri Lankan government was delaying the action, citing the ailing economy.

Sri Lanka’s daily infections have more than doubled in a month to an average of 3,897.

Hospitals in the country of 21 million people are overflowing with COVID-19 patients as the highly transmissible Delta variant surges through the population.

Many restrictions are already in place, with schools, gyms and swimming pools closed and weddings and musical shows banned. Authorities also imposed a night curfew from Monday, restricting movement from 10pm until 4am every day.

Sri Lanka’s third wave of infections has been blamed on traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations in mid-April.

Following a month-long lockdown, the government reopened the country in June relying on an aggressive vaccination drive as its main strategy to deal with the spread.

About a quarter of Sri Lanka’s population has been fully vaccinated, a majority of them with China’s Sinopharm vaccine.

Sri Lanka has also approved Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Russia’s Sputnik V shots.

Despite more than five million of the 21 million population receiving two doses of vaccine, the virus has infected more people beyond the capacity of state and private sector hospitals.

About the author

Avatar of Harry Johnson

Harry Johnson

Harry Johnson has been the assignment editor for eTurboNews for mroe than 20 years. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is originally from Europe. He enjoys writing and covering the news.

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