NO PILGRIMAGES TO SRI PADA IN JANUARY - N'ELIYA DISTRICT SECRETARY

Issuing a statement, the Nuwara District Corona Prevention Committee noted the arrival of pilgrims to the sacred grounds in the coming weeks poses a serious risk, given the present spread of COVID-19.

There is also a risk of COVID-19 spreading among the estate communities in Hatton, it added.

Locals are required to produce a health clearance certificate issued by Public Health Inspectors (PHI) to enter the Nuwara Eliya district, officials said on Sunday (20).

“We will allow them to stay at hotels or at other facilities only if they possess the clearance certificate,” Nuwara Eliya Mayor Chandana Lal Karunaratne told News 1st.

The certificate can be obtained from PHI’s attached to the localities of people travelling to Nuwara Eliya – a hotspot for local and foreign tourists, especially in the festive season.

“There are four entry points to the Nuwara Eliya district. We carry out temperature checks at these locations as well,” the mayor noted.

Health ministry data indicate that there are nine high-risk zones and six low-risk zones for COVID-19 in the Nuwara Eliya district.