Colombo: Anyone found hiding symptoms of the novel coronavirus in Sri Lanka will be handed a six-month jail term, a senior police official said here on Monday, adding that there were individuals who had avoided going into quarantine centres after arriving from virus-affected countries.

Senior Inspector, DIG Ajith Rohana, said steps will be taken to arrest such individuals without a warrant as they posed a great danger of spreading the virus to others, reports Xinhua news agency.

The country's Police Department said the law will also be strictly enforced against those who spread false rumours on the COVID-19 through social media.

A total of 23 individuals had been arrested over the spread of such false information about the virus.

Sri Lanka so far has confirmed 18 COVID-19 cases with almost all of them being treated at the Infectious Disease Hospital located in the outskirts of Colombo.