New COVID-19 cases after 6 months put 2 Sri Lankan towns under curfew

An indefinite curfew has been imposed on Divulapitiya and Minwangoda towns in the suburbs of Colombo after a COVID-19 positive patient was detected on Sunday

New COVID-19 cases after 6 months put 2 Sri Lankan towns under curfew

Women walk past a mural painting in Minuwangoda on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sunday. Pic/AFP

Sri Lanka on Sunday imposed an indefinite curfew on two western provincial towns to contain the spread of the coronavirus following the detection of a community case after a gap of nearly six months, officials said. The island nation has so far recorded 3,395 cases and 13 fatalities due to the disease.

An indefinite curfew has been imposed on Divulapitiya and Minwangoda towns in the suburbs of Colombo after a COVID-19 positive patient was detected on Sunday, Army Commander and COVID-19 prevention task force head Shavendra Silva said.

He said a female from Divulapitiya who works in an apparel factory was found positive for coronavirus after she was admitted to a hospital in Gampaha for fever. Nearly 50 people from her workplace and the hospital have been sent for home quarantine after she was detected positive for COVID-19.

Mecca reopens as Saudi eases curbs

A very small, limited number of people circled Grand Mosque in Mecca on Sunday after Saudi Arabia lifted COVID-19 curbs that had been in place for months. The government on Sunday started allowing a maximum of 6,000 Saudi citizens and residentsa day to enter the sprawling Grand Mosque.

Worries about holiday in S Korea

South Korea has reported 64 new cases, the fourth straight day its increase came below 100. There are concerns that infections could rise in coming weeks because of increased travel during the five-day Chuseok harvest holiday that continues through Sunday.

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