o Islandwide curfew from 6 May, 8 p.m. to 11 May, 5 a.m. o Work to resume across island from 11 May o Mobility only to obtain essential services By Sarah Hannan The islandwide curfew currently in effect will be relaxed in 21 districts, excluding that of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, and Puttalam, tomorrow (4) at 5 a.m. Between 4-6 May, curfew will be in effect daily from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next day in these 21 districts. An islandwide curfew will be in effect from Wednesday, 6 May at 8 p.m. to Monday, 11 May at 5 a.m., the President’s Media Division (PMD) revealed. PMD Director General Mohan Samaranayake, clarifying the terms of resuming civilian life and commencing office work on 11 May, said: “Civilian life and office work in the 21 districts where curfew is relaxed is already returning to normalcy, with mobility only permitted to obtain essential services such as purchasing groceries and medicines and going to work.” He further noted that on 11 May, state and privately owned institutions in the four high-risk districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, and Puttalam are required to start operations with a limited amount of staff as instructed previously. “The heads of these companies and institutions have been given this time period to make the necessary arrangements on how they would commence operations. They are to decide on how many (employees) would report to work and how many would continue to work from home. The institutions will also need to look at transporting their staff, (while) adhering to health and safety guidelines and obtaining the necessary curfew passes for their staff members as required,” Samaranayake added. Institutions are required to follow the “Operational Guidelines on Preparedness and Response for Covid-19 Outbreak for Work Settings” issued by the Directorate of Environmental Health, Occupational Health, and Food Safety of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services. Whether curfew will be relaxed in the Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, and Puttalam Districts after 11 May is yet to be decided by the health and law enforcement authorities after assessing the spread of the disease, Samaranayake revealed.