President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said the organisers of Royal-S. Thomas big match did not heed his advice to cancel the big match amidst the Corona outbreak in Sri Lanka.

Speaking at a meeting at the Presidential Secretariat a short while ago, the President said he specifically instructed authorities not to proceed with the match due to the current situation.

"But, they didn't listen to me. They said it was not possible to cancel the match," he added. The President also added that there was no need to enforce a total lockdown in the country.

A person who was at the Royal Thomian big match, a first officer at the SriLankan Airlines, has been diagnosed with COVID-19. He is currently receiving treatment at the IDH.