Many mass gatherings cancelled or postponed

The government has requested that mass gatherings should not be held as a safeguard against a potential threat from COVID-19 and also urged people to avoid such gatherings and trips.

The different religious leaders took action to stop people from gathering at places of worship yesterday. Buddhist leaders advised their devotees not to gather at temples; the Roman Catholic Church announced that all lenten pilgrimages are cancelled; the Director of the Muslim Religious Affairs Department, A.B.M. Ashraff said that mandatory five-time prayers and Jummah prayers would continue but would be completed within five minutes and mosques would be sanitized, while each worshipper has been told to bring his own prayer mats; and the Hindu Religious Affairs Director, A. Umamaheswaran said the Hindus have been asked to avoid mass gatherings but the normal poojas would be held with precautions.

However, many health sources contacted by the Sunday Times were adamant that any gathering of people, large or small, should be cancelled, in the light of the dangers of the coronavirus.

All cinemas under the National Film Corporation have been closed from yesterday, while the government has advised places such as Nelum Pokuna, BMICH, Elphinstone and Tower Hall to close temporarily.

When contacted, a source at Elphinstone said there was no order for closure by the Cultural Affairs Ministry and it would proceed with its events and it was a similar answer from the BMICH and Nelum Pokuna.

All government, semi- government, private and international schools as well as Sunday and pirivena schools have closed from March 13 to April 20.

However, international schools will have limited classes for those students who would be sitting the British examinations, starting end April, it is learnt.

All tuition classes have been suspended from March 13 to 26, as state universities also put up their shutters till March 26. A decision on the extension of the closure is to be taken depending on the evolving situation. Several private universities have announced that they would be closed for differing periods of time as of yesterday.

Royal Institute, Colombo and Horizon campus will be closed indefinitely; APIIT until March 30; and SLIIT for two weeks.

While the prison authorities are discussing the precautions needed within these institutions, they have requested magistrates to avoid remanding people for petty crimes, a prison source said, adding that they have prepared a separate ward for isolation in the eventuality of the disease coming into the prisons. Discussions on limiting visitors to prisoners are being held.

The England vs Sri Lanka Test cricket matches to be held from March 19 to 23 and March 27 to 31, have been cancelled and no decision taken yet on rescheduling them, said Sri Lanka Cricket Chief Executive Officer Ashley de Silva.

The carnival and education exhibition which was in full swing at the Mahinda Rajapaska Maha Vidyalaya, Pitipana, Homagama attracting large crowds was halted on Friday.

This was as ‘Medivision 2020’, the medical exhibition of the Colombo Medical Faculty linked to its 150th anniversary celebration due to be held from March 30-April 5, has been postponed, said Prof. D.J. Anthony, while the Wildlife & Nature Protection Society (WNPS) has cancelled its monthly lecture on ‘Unwinding the secrets of the elusive Indian pangolin’ which was to be held on March 19.