Colombo, March 22 Some 340 people have been arrested in Sri Lanka for defying a curfew imposed by the government in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus in the island nation, police said on Sunday.
The arrests were made between 6 a.m. on March 20 and 9 a.m. on Sunday, reports the Daily Financial Times newspaper.
Among the arrested, some had engaged in sports in public playgrounds, kept their shops open, while others were found drunk on the streets, according to the Police Media Division.
Legal action will be taken against the violators, it added.
Meanwhile, curfew in the Colombo, Gampaha and Puttalam districts has been extended till 6 a.m. on Tuesday and will be reimposed at 2 p.m. the same day.
The curfew was imposed on Friday until March 23 (Monday).
The announcement comes after the National Election Commission on Thursday postponed the country's parliamentary polls which were scheduled to be held on April 25 until further notice.
Also on Thursday, the government declared a period of work from home for both public and private sectors starting from March 20 to 27.
As of Sunday, Sri Lanka has reported a total of 77 confirmed coronavirus cases with no fatalities.
( With inputs from IANS )