The Sri Lanka government has made cremations compulsory for all coronavirus victims, disregarding advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and going against Islamic tradition as racist false rumours against the island’s Muslim community continued to circulate.

A gazette notification was released on Saturday, with Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi further stating that "the corpse of a person who has died or is suspected to have died, of... COVID-19 shall be cremated.” 

The government order comes despite the WHO stating that victims "can be buried or cremated”.

Mulliyavalai Youth Club association members set up a free home gardening initiative, with the Institute of Regional Development and Governance, for Mulliyavalai area residents.

The project called “Namakku Naamay” (We For Us), was launched by the youths on Thursday (9^th March) to ensure that every household has plants in their home’s garden, in an effort to prepare for the impending food crisis and poverty looming in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

At least one person was killed after a mini cyclone struck Vavuniya this week, as villagers struggle with a military enforced curfew in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has suspended a local council member who was arrested and remanded for molesting a 13-year-old mentally challenged girl, along with four other perpetrators.   

Pradeshiya Sabha member for Thanamalwila, R.A. Ranaweera, allegedly sexually assaulted the girl - who has down syndrome - on multiple occasions with the four other culprits. Ranaweera, along with the four other detained, have been remanded until April 16, according to Daily News.  

The Sri Lankan president announced the lighting up of Colombo's Lotus Tower was to pay "tribute to" the Sri Lankan armed forces, as well as to healthcare workers, in the midst of a miltiary enforced curfew on the island as part of coronavirus counter-measures.

Sri Lanka's president Gotabaya Rajapaksa tweeted that the lighting was to honour their "selfless service is the lifeblood of our country today & it’s our duty to take care of them".

A popular Tamil journalist has passed away in London this week after contracting coronavirus aged just 30-years-old.

Thillainathan Ananthavarnan, a former newsreader and editor with TTN, passed away yesterday.

Colleagues paid tribute to the journalist on social media, as deaths from coronavirus continued to rise across the UK.

^{Photograph: Thamarai Connect}

Tributes have been paid to a British Tamil doctor who died from coronavirus whilst on the frontlines and caring patients last week.

In a statement on the passing of Dr Anton Sebastianpillai, his son Kevin confirmed that his “beautiful father lost his battle against Covid-19”.

The European Union (EU) announced it would provide a grant of €22 million to Sri Lanka to help support its struggling economy in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak after ambassadors met with Basil Rajapaksa this week.

“Sri Lanka’s very low number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far is impressive,” the EU said in a statement. “To support Sri Lankan efforts further, the European Union is targeting three sectors: health, agriculture and tourism.”

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced it would donate $1.3 million USD to Sri Lanka to help support coronavirus prevention efforts, which are currently being led by a commander who is barred from travel to the US.

“Funding will provide Sri Lanka support to activate case finding and event-based surveillance, technical experts for response and preparedness, risk communication, infection prevention and control, and more,” said the US embassy in a press release earlier today.

“The lack of civilian oversight over Sri Lanka’s militarised COVID-19 response raises some very serious human rights concerns,” the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) said in a press release.

“Sri Lanka has an alleged war criminal heading its COVID-19 response, who served in the same army regiment as the President, raising questions about transparency, accountability and oversight,” Yasmin Sooka, ITJP’s Executive Director said.

Infographic by ITJP