In Sri Lanka, the election commission today decided to postpone the parliamentary elections scheduled for 25th of next month in wake of COVID-19 crisis.

Commission chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said that a fresh date will be announced after considering the situation and will all depend on how far the novel coronavirus is contained. The chairman also said that the nominations handed over will be valid for the new election date. Nominations were held for elections upto today and the decision to postpone the election was taken soon after.

Meanwhile, government has declared a period of work from home for both public and private sectors for one week beginning tomorrow. The government had earlier closed offices till today in a bid to tackle COVID-19. Authorities said they will ensure that health, bank, transport, and essential services continue as usual. The total COVID-19 cases have risen to 56 in the country with six more people testing positive today.

In a related development, a court issued warning notices to 65 persons who arrived from Italy for not complying with quarantine orders. Government had earlier instructed people who arrived from Italy and South Korea to self-isolate themselves in their homes for 14 days. According to the relevant court order, those who have received the warning notices are required to self-quarantine in their homes on the instructions of health officials.