Sri Lanka on Monday ordered the closure of schools, just a week after they reopened, due to an upsurge in cases of coronavirus in the South Asian island.
The country of 21 million people currently has only 11 deaths out of 2,617 reported cases of Covid-19 disease, but authorities are concerned that a cluster has been discovered at a rehab facility near the capital Colombo.
Nearly half of the 1,100 residents and staff at the facility tested positive for the new coronavirus last week, and some visitors may have been infected, said army chief Shavendra Silva. At least 16 other cases have also been detected in villages across the island, mainly in the North Central Province, officials said.
In this context,”on the recommendation of the health authorities, it was decidedto close schools this week,” the Ministry of Education announced in a statement, encouraging private schools to do the same. “We will take stock ofthe situation next week,”the ministry added.
The health crisis has also prompted Colombo to postpone the reopening of its international airport, originally scheduled for 1 August. The programme, which has so far repatriated some 12,000 Sri Lankans, has also been suspended.
