COLOMBO, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan police on Friday said over 55,000 people had been arrested from across the country for violating a curfew which was in place indefinitely in capital Colombo and its outskirts while in other districts the curfew was imposed daily from night till early morning, to prevent a spread of the COVID-19.
In a statement, the police said 55,148 people were arrested since the curfew was imposed on March 20, for loitering on the roads, gathering and consuming alcohol at public grounds, traveling by vehicle on the roads, and behaving in an unruly manner while intoxicated, defying curfew rules.
On Friday alone, 1,230 people were arrested, police said.
Over 12,000 vehicles have also been seized since March 20 and all those arrested have been and will be produced before local courts in the coming days.
Sri Lanka imposed an islandwide curfew on March 20, which was eventually lifted in some districts due to a less threat of the spread of the virus.
In capital Colombo and the outskirts of Gampaha, the curfew has continued indefinitely since March 24, as these areas have been declared "high risk" areas from the virus. However, while the curfew is in place, authorities opened Colombo for the resumption of economic activities earlier this week, permitting only employees from private and public sectors to travel to and back from work.
Sri Lanka has to date detected over 900 COVID-19 infected patients, out of which over 477 have recovered and been discharged. Over 400 are under observation in the designated hospitals while nine deaths have been reported. Enditem
