Sri Lankan Parliament's CCTV footage scanned after Opposition leader tests COVID-19 positive

Parliament's Sergeant-at-Arms Naren Fernando said Premadasa''s movements within the assembly will be closely observed and contacts would be advised to observe quarantine procedures.

Opposition leader Premadasa and his wife Jalani have tested positive for the coronavirus.

He tweeted that while his wife was admitted to hospital with symptoms of COVID-19 on Saturday he was asymptomatic.

Premadasa was seen attending Parliament on all three sitting days when the assembly debated the Colombo Port City bill last week.

Before Premadasa, several parliamentarians, including Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, were found positive.

Sri Lanka is going through a deadly third wave of the pandemic.

The nationwide infection tally reached to 161,242 on Saturday while the death toll climbed to 1,178 with 46 new deaths reported. The number is the highest single-day COVID death tally in Lanka so far.

The stressed health sector has urged the government to impose a strict lockdown for a fortnight. However, the government has shown reluctance to order a complete lockdown and has only imposed travel restrictions till May 30 with no inter-provincial travel being allowed.