Colombo is likely to shift from curfew to a lockdown from 4 May onwards, with greater freedom of mobility for citizens and less restrictions on economic activity.
Under this potential lockdown, offices will be allowed to open, travel between districts will be permitted for work purposes, and citizens will be allowed to step out of their homes to fulfil essential needs.
The statement in this regard was issued by the President's Office yesterday (25) evening and these measures apply to the districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, and Puttalam.
Even though the President’s Office in its statement has said that these relaxation measures would come into effect if the curfew was to be extended beyond 4 May, such a system has all the attributes of a lockdown akin to those imposed throughout the western world.
A lockdown is generally regarded as less restrictive than curfew, with greater mobility and greater individual responsibility by citizens, while imposing curfew is a measure aimed at keeping people at home in fear of arrest.
Therefore, whether the Government lifts curfew on 4 May or shifts to a lockdown, citizens of the Western Province are guaranteed an end to what would by then be a six-week curfew.
Heads of government and non-government offices have been ordered to discuss further plans pertaining to the work process within next week and all the offices should be opened at 10 a.m. daily. Only one-third of the workers can be present in departments, corporations, and government offices. Other workers can continue to work from home. The officials have been given the freedom to choose employees from different divisions to come into office on different days.
Citizens are not allowed to stay on the roads and gather in places so as to prevent the spread of the virus. Public transportation will be restricted only for employees and essential workers and other people are required to stay at home. As the statement reads, people are only allowed to go out to buy medicines or to fulfil other essential needs, and that too only to shops or pharmacies within walking distance.
Even for these needs, citizens will only be permitted to go out based on the last number on their identity card, even to fulfil their essential needs. The conditions are imposed as follows.
Citizens whose last digit on their identity card is 1 or 2 will be allowed to step out of their houses on Mondays, 3 or 4 on Tuesdays, 5 or 6 on Wednesdays, 7 or 8 on Thursdays, and 9 or 0 on Fridays.
The Police and Army will keep track of whether citizens obey the rules in order to decide whether to continue with the health measures imposed by the Government.
Speaking with The Sunday Morning, Police Media Spokesman Jaliya Senaratne said that all the police officers will try to educate the public before making arrests.
“We have given instructions to all the police stations through our internal process. Therefore, we informed the officers to follow the instructions given in the President’s notice. At the very first stage, we would not arrest any person violating those instructions. We hope to educate them and we hope to carry out awareness programmes using loudspeakers and other activities covering the island. And thereafter, we will strictly implement the instructions.”
Furthermore, the statement advised people to continue to adhere to safety precautions such as wearing masks and practicing good hygiene as they did before.
Travel between districts will remain restricted with people being allowed to travel between districts mainly for employment purposes and the provision of essential services.
Schools, universities, tuition classes, other educational institutions, and cinemas will continue to be closed until further notice.
In districts where curfew has been lifted, a curfew may be imposed in certain areas that are identified as high-risk zones.
Functions such as pilgrimages, trips, and meetings are strictly prohibited.
(The Morning)