COVID-19 pandemic: Japan, Sri Lanka end lockdown

Colombo: Sri Lanka on Friday lifted the nationwide lockdown which was imposed 40 days ago while Japan fully came out of the Coronavirus state of emergency for the first time in more than six months.

The third wave of the Coronavirus pandemic hit Sri Lanka in mid-April when healthcare services started running out of their capacity. Following weeks of persuasion by the medical professionals, the government decided to impose the lockdown on August 20 after the health facilities came under strain due the raging third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 lockdown was lifted at 4 AM (local time) on Friday and new guidelines aimed at curbing the further spread of the Coronavirus announced.

The Sri Lanka Medical Association has given a guarded welcome to the reopening of the country, saying it should be done in a phased manner.

According to the health ministry, some restrictions, however, remain in place as a precautionary measure.

Meanwhile, at Tokyo's busy Shinagawa train station, a sea of mask-wearing commuters rushed to their work despite an approaching typhoon, with some returning to their offices after months of remote work.

The emergency measures, in place for more than half of the country including Tokyo, ended Thursday following a steady fall in new caseloads over the past few weeks, helping to ease pressure on Japanese health care systems. Outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga thanked the people for their patience and cooperation.