8000 arrested in SL for violating curfew

Nearly 8,500 people have been arrested in Sri Lanka for violating an islandwide curfew which has been in place in the country since March 20, the police said in a statement here Wednesday.

Police said 8,451 people were taken into custody for loitering on the roads, gathering and consuming alcohol at public grounds, travelling by vehicle on the roads, keeping restaurants open, behaving in an unruly manner on the roads, among other anti-curfew behaviors.

Out of the total number, 1,093 were arrested within the past 24 hours alone.

Police said over 2,087 vehicles were also seized and all those arrested will be presented before local courts in the coming days.

Sri Lanka imposed an islandwide curfew on March 20, which was lifted for a few hours during last week in separate districts for people to re-stock on essential items.

In capital Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara and their outskirts, the curfew has been imposed indefinitely since March 24, as these areas have been declared "high risk" areas from the virus.

Sri Lanka has detected 143 COVID-19 infected patients while 123 are under observation.

Over 10,000 are under quarantine in their homes or at quarantine centers.