Colombo (News 1st); The Department of Railways has requested the General Public to commute via trains only for essential services.

The request comes following a rise in COVID-19 cases in Sri Lanka.

Head of Security at the Department of Railways Anura Premaratne said all passengers must strictly comply with the health guidelines issued by the Health Ministry.

Special Security measures are in place across train stations to prevent the spread of COVID-19, he said.

Passengers are requested not to hand-over money to beggars who board trains and not to make any purchases from vendors who also board trains, he added.

Further, vendors and beggars will be removed from trains when detected, said the Head of Security at the Department of Railways Anura Premaratne.

The Department of Railways was forced to cancel multiple train operations due to low-turnout of passengers.

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