Public ‘strongly recommended’ to wear face masks amid uptick in COVID cases

The Director-General of Health Services says, considering the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the country, he strongly recommends the general public to wear face masks while they are indoors, travelling in public transport or at public gatherings.

Dr. Asela Gunawardena, as the Proper Authority for the entire country, issued the directives by virtue of the regulations made under the Quarantine and Prevention of Disease Ordinance No. 03 of 1897 published in a special gazette notification dated January 25, 2022.

Sri Lanka has seen an uptick in COVID-19 infections detected within the Western Province and other parts of the country over the past few days.

The face mask rule in Sri Lanka was first lifted in mid-April this year subject to conditions, but it was reversed after taking into consideration the large public gatherings taking place in the country at the time.

The rule was lifted again in early June as figures of COVID-19 cases and deaths reported in the country had dropped significantly.

However, as a minor increase in COVID-19 infections is observed again in the country, the health authorities are urging the members of the public to exercise caution and follow the health guidelines such as wearing face masks, washing hands, maintaining social distancing, limiting unnecessary movements and minimizing gatherings to prevent further spread of the virus.

Wearing face masks was made compulsory in Sri Lanka in early 2020, in a bid to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 following the outbreak of the pandemic.