Sri Lanka on Wednesday imposed a curfew in the Western coastal areas - identified as one of the hotspots where the deadly coronavirus was at risk of spreading.

Senior police spokesman Ajith Rohana said that areas of Puttalam district in the northwestern region will be under a police curfew from 4.30 pm this afternoon (local time) until further notice.

The police said that around 1,500 people had evaded quarantine and they are believed to be in the region.

Rohana said the curfew covers the Mundalama, Udappuwa, Kalpitiya, Nawagaththegama, Pallama, Kaluwaragaswewa, Anamaduwa, Wanathawilluwa and Saliyawewa areas under the Puttalam Police Division.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi said the number of confirmed cases has risen to 50.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in an address to the nation on Tuesday night refused to order a lockdown of the country as demanded by many to facilitate the prevention of spread of the virus.

Rajapaksa said the medical professionals should look into the prevailing situation in a thoughtful manner and should take the most appropriate decisions to control the crisis.

'The doctors are the cream of our society and in this critical situation they should take the best decision,' he said. 'The COVID-19 pandemic is not a challenge to us,' he said.

Sri Lanka is currently observing a 4-day special holiday in order to minimize crowd gathering and to promote social distancing.

The curfew came as the police requested all Sri Lankans who had arrived from European countries including Britain, and Iran, Italy and South Korea from March 1 to 15 to register at the nearest police station or inform the police as a measure to curb the virus outbreak.

The authorities said that legal action would be taken under the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance against those who fail to register with the police.

In view of the rising number of the novel coronavirus cases globally, Sri Lanka on Tuesday suspended all international flights arriving in the country.

The deadly virus, which originated in China in December last year, has spread to 155 countries, infected 182,406 people and claimed over 8,000 lives.