Sri Lanka, July 10 -- Sri Lanka was one of the early movers on Covid-19. Within two weeks of the public declaration of a pandemic, the Government established a special action committee and worked closely with the World Health Organization to devise a proactive response. Since March 14th, shortly after the first local patient was confirmed, Sri Lanka has taken strong measures to manage and mitigate the crisis. Beginning on March 20th, the country moved into a police-managed lockdown with severe restrictions on civilian movements and zero tolerance of social gatherings.

The new regulations caused major disruptions of lives and livelihoods. Unlike the lockdowns in other countries, where citizens have still enjoyed small liberties like a dri...