Colombo, Dec 24 (AP) Sri Lankan authorities on Thursday imposed lockdown on three towns on the outskirts of the capital to contain the spread of COVID-19 during the festive season.

Kosgama, Awissawella and Ruwanwella, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of Colombo, were locked down from Thursday noon.

Lockdowns have been applied in dozens of towns and villages since a resurgence of the coronavirus in the Indian Ocean island nation in October.

Schools and key public offices have been closed, public gatherings banned and restrictions imposed on public transport.

The two clusters that emerged in October — one centered on a garment factory and other on a fish market — account for most of Sri Lanka's outbreak. The confirmed cases from the two clusters have grown to 34,959 on Thursday. Sri Lanka's total since March is about 38,600. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)