Sri Lanka declared curfew in an area with a concentration of returnees from Italy, a day after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered asked banks to give credit relief to businesses hit by coronavirus and suspended foreign arrivals from March 19.

Curfew was declared in several police areas in the Puttalam and Negombo districts from 1630 hours on March 18, local media said. 

Sri Lanka’s Army Chief Shavendra Silva had told reporters that there were about 800 returnees from Italy in the Puttalam district who had not registered with the police.

“If they do not comply and register we may have to do something about the whole area,” he warned.

Minister Wanniarachchi said the government was not rushing to lockdown an area since it will hit the poorest most.

Authorities were also chasing down between 1,500 to 2,000 persons who were on the loose who had arrived in the country before quarantine began.

They have been asked to register with police.

But some were not in self-quarantine and were also dodging military intelligence and health officials instead of staying at home.

“Our people have no discipline,” Minister Wanniarachchi said. “When the Chinese working here were asked to be on self-quarantine they stayed inside their houses without going anywhere.”

Over 2,500 persons were in quarantine at 16 centres.

Sri Lanka was also making the Welikanda hospital a treatment centre for Coronavirus patients taking the total designated hospital around the country to 18.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered banks to give six months of credit relief to businesses that were hit by Coronavirus.

“Loan repayments to banks and financial institutions are a big burden for businesses,” President Rajapaksa said in a television address to the nation.

“I am ordering that debt should not be collected or six months and for working capital to be provided at 4 percent.”

Though the effect on the banking sector from the move is unclear Sri Lanka’s businesses are struggling with people asked to stay at home, with transport, food distribution and retail and state agencies in health is unclear, businesses except food retail benefitting from panic buying.

The president also slapped price control on dhal, a popular imported food at 65 rupees a kilogram and a tinned fish at 100 rupees. Tinned fish is a popular food among the poor but prices are artificially kept up with import duties to benefit a handful of rent seeking domestic businessmen.

President Rajapaksa called for broad co-operation to tackle the crisis.

Sri Lanka is closing the airport for foreign arrivals for a time but is allowing those in the country to leave.

Sri Lanka’s Coronavirus climbed to 51 with about 200 under watch in hospital.