Army Commander Shavendra Silva yesterday said that he hoped the people in the Western Province will restrict movement outside of the province during the festive season. He said a risk of COVID-19 virus spread outside the Western Province can be prevented if the people reduced restrictions outside of the province. The Army Commander expressed these views at the opening ceremony of the newly-constructed Squash Court at Diyatalawa Sri Lanka Military Academy (SLMA) complex last evening. He said most number of COVID-19 cases are being reported from the three districts in the Western Province. “There are questions as to what will happen during the next weeks as many people will celebrate the holidays. No decision has been taken at this moment to impose quarantine curfew or restrict movements. We hope the people in WP will minimize going out of the province,” he said. He said many festivals including the National New Year, Vesak and Poson were not celebrated due to COVID-19 pandemic. “We hope the people will minimize celebrations during the Christmas and New Year and limit number of people at events,” he said.