SL can't be under lockdown till Covid-19 cure found: Prez

Colombo

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said that it was impractical for the island nation to be under a lockdown until a cure for the novel coronavirus was found, hence the public should be ready to lead normal lives but with health guidelines, the media reported on Thursday.

Rajapaksa made the remarks on Wednesday while participating at the launch of a new digital platform ‘Stay Safe', which will help in contact tracing, the Daily Financial Times quoted the President's Media Division (PMD) as saying in a statement.

‘Stay Safe' will provide a QR code to organisations or companies logging onto its website which can be displayed on their premises.

Anyone working or visiting these complexes can use their mobile phones to scan their details using the unique QR code.

The project, which will be launched on Saturday, is also aimed at helping people to move around with limited restrictions.

Addressing the event, the President reiterated the need to act responsibly as the island nation has witnessed a resurgence of new Covid-19 cases after the detection of two clusters.

The President said people cannot be disciplined through continuously maintaining curfew and added that decisions should be taken with a balanced view of the lives of the people, the economy and all other aspects.

He further urged everyone to be prepared to carry on daily activities as usual while adhering to the health guidelines.

As of Thursday, Sri Lanka's overall coronavirus caseload has surged to 12,187, with 24 deaths.