The Sri Lankan Army, Navy and Air Force have jointly enforced travel restrictions between provinces through roadblocks.

The move comes under the guidance of General Shavendra Silva, head of the National Operations Center to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and chief of defense forces and army commander. So far, vehicles attempting to cross the road in violation of the existing inter-provincial traffic ban have been seized and handed over to the police for further action.

Military sources say entry into and out of one province will only be allowed if it falls within the category of "essential services" specified by the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 control.

Health workers and civil servants who are engaged in essential services invited by the company leaders are thus allowed to travel between the provinces.

The military says it is examining security forces, official identification cards, written documents inviting a person to work, valid electronic documents, or any other evidence of eligibility to travel between provinces at those checkpoints.