According to health authorities, a new cluster was detected in Minuwangoda in the Gampaha district when a 39-year-old apparel worker and her 16-year-old daughter tested positive for the virus on Sunday after which hundreds of people were taken into quarantine.

By Monday evening, 101 new patients were reported from the cluster after their PCR tests came in positive, the government information department said.

A majority of the new patients have been admitted to the National Infectious Disease Hospital in the outskirts of Colombo.

The police on Sunday declared a curfew in parts of the Gampaha district to prevent the further spread of the virus while the Health Ministry has urged the public to strictly adhere to the health guidelines including wearing masks and maintaining a one-meter distance.

Sri Lanka has so far recorded 13 deaths from the virus since the first local patient was detected in March.