COLOMBO, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic has risen to 16, out of a total of 7,872 confirmed cases, the government information department said in a statement Monday.

One more death was recorded on Sunday evening when a 70-year-old patient being treated in the National Hospital in Colombo died from the pandemic, said the department.

Official data showed 351 more infections were recorded on Sunday, mainly from a new cluster detected from a fish market in Peliyagoda, in the capital Colombo earlier last week.

According to the department, the Peliyagoda fish market cluster outbreak has led to several parts of Colombo coming under a curfew in recent days to prevent a further spread of the virus.

Earlier on Sunday, the police announced that a curfew imposed in some parts of the Colombo north, would be extended to Borella, Pettah, and Fort, which is the main business hub in the capital. All businesses and key departments in the curfew area will be closed until further notice and people were advised not to leave home.

Government officials said that several new infections had been detected in the curfew areas, all linked with the fish market cluster, which was linked to another cluster detected on Oct. 4 in Minuwangoda on the outskirts of Colombo.

Thousands of COVID-19 tests were conducted in and around the Minuwangoda area within the past two weeks, with over 2,000 people tested positive. Enditem

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