Army Commander General Shavendra Silva expressed fears that the 'Avurudu' shopping rush might result in a significant spike in COVID19 cases in May.

Many streets were flooded with people over the past two weeks with the country gearing to celebrate the SInhala - Tamil New Year this week amidst the raging pandemic.

"A segment of our population have completely disregarded the COVID19 threat and this has jeopardised the rest of the country," Silva said expressing his disappointment with the current situation.

"If Sri Lankans fail to exercise caution during the New year season, they will not be able to celebrate the Vesak festival," he added.

The Army Commander said that the spread of COVID19 was significantly controlled during the recent week as the public behaved in an intelligent manner and due to the high level of support received from the people.