Sri Lankans seek full COVID lockdown ahead of president's address

COLOMBO - Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will meet his COVID-19 advisers on Friday and is expected later to address the nation as infections and deaths overwhelm the island's health system, leading to calls for a complete lockdown.

The Indian Ocean nation recorded its highest single-day death toll of 187 and 3,793 cases on Wednesday. Religious leaders, politicians and businessmen have called for an immediate nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of infections. Daily infections have more than doubled in a month to an average of 3,897, according to the Reuters Global COVID tracker.