Highest number of arrests over quarantine law violations made yesterday

The police have arrested 745 more individuals on Monday (May 24) for failing to adhere to health protocols and quarantine regulations while in public, Police Media Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana says.

They have been taken into custody for failing to wear face masks in public, not maintaining social distancing, and flouting quarantine regulations.

According to the DIG, this is the highest number of quarantine law flouters arrested within a period of 24 hours.

This many people have not been arrested even on a day when travel restrictions were not in effect, the police spokesman noted.

The quarantine law gazette notification was published on the 15th of October 2020, however, the police have been enforcing the law regarding the quarantine gazette since the 30th of October 2020.

The government temporarily relaxed the countrywide travel restrictions, imposed in a bid to arrest the spread of COVID-19, at 4.00 am today (May 25). The restriction orders will be enforced again from 11.00 p.m. today until 4.00 a.m. the next Monday (May 31).

The public will not be allowed to travel by vehicle to purchase essential goods as they will only be allowed to walk to nearest shop.

Only grocery shops, pharmacies, bakeries, fish and meat shops are permitted to operated today while liquor stores will remain closed.

On Monday, the government announced that island-wide travel restrictions will be extended until the 07th of June.

The constraints will be temporarily eased again on May 31 (Monday) and June 04 (Friday) for the public to purchase essential items from the shop closest to their homes.

Travel restriction orders will be enforced with effect from 11.00 p.m. on May 31 and will continue until 4.00 a.m. on June 04 (Friday).

Thereafter, the restrictions will come into effect again at 11.00 p.m. that same day (June 04) and will continue until 4.00 a.m. on June 07 (Monday).