Colombo, Nov 2 (IANS): Sri Lankan authorities said that a weekend curfew in the Western Province including the capital Colombo, would be extended till November 9 due to a continued surge in the number of new coronavirus cases.

The ongoing weekend curfew was supposed to be lifted on Monday, reports Xinhua news agency.

In a statement, Sri Lanka's Army Chief and head of the National Operation Center for Prevention of Covid-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) Lt. General Shavendra Silva said that the government had decided to extend the curfew to prevent the public from leaving their homes while authorities battled to control a spread of the virus.

"The government decided to extend the curfew to prevent a spread to other areas as well as to ensure this does not spread within the Western Province," Silva said.

The curfew will be lifted on November 9 at 5 a.m.

Silva further said travelling between districts had also been halted unless it was for essential services.

"We request all citizens living outside the Western Province to remain in your district," the army chief said.

"We also kindly request the people in the Western Province to be at home without coming out of their houses. Only those who are involved in duties in essential services will be allowed to move out, but all others are requested to be at home," he added.

Sri Lanka's coronavirus caseload rose to 10,856 on Sunday after 193 new patients were confirmed during the day, from two new clusters which were detected earlier last month from Minuwangoda on the outskirts of Colombo and from a fish market in Peliyagoda, Colombo, Health Ministry statistics showed.

The island country has reported 20 deaths from the virus.