A voter wearing a facemask shows her inked finger after casting her ballot in the parliamentary election outside a polling station in Colombo August 5, 2020. Sri Lankan voters cast their ballots on August 5 for a new parliament as the ruling Rajapaksa brothers seek a fresh mandate to cement their grip on power. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





An elephant is seen at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawala, about 90 km from the capital Colombo on August 3, 2020. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





A statement released late on Thursday, September 3, 2020 by the navy said the New Diamond, a very large crude carrier (VLCC), was crewed by 5 Greek and 18 Philippine nationals. One Philippine national was injured and another was missing following the fire, the statement said. Two Russian anti-submarine ships and four Indian ships were assisting in the operation. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





A supporter of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa waves a national flag outside Rajapaksa's residence in Tangalle, Sri Lanka, Friday, August 7, 2020. The country's powerful Rajapaksa brothers secured a landslide victory in the parliamentary election, giving them nearly the two-thirds majority of seats required to make constitutional changes, according to results released Friday. Rajapaksa is likely to be sworn in the same position by his younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, after the vote that could strengthen dynastic rule in the Indian Ocean island nation. (Photo by Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo)





Chairman of Election Commission of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Deshapriya, explains how to cast vote using a sample ballet paper (made for demonstration only) watched by Director General of Health Services, Anil Jasinghe (L) during a press conference at Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 03 August 2020. Sri Lanka will hold Parliamentary Election on August 5 and the Chairman of Election Commission of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Deshapriya assured that measures have been taken to ensure safety of the voters amid the Covid-19 outbreak. (Photo by Tharaka Basnayaka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)





A person looking over the seafront during a spell of rain in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 02 September 2020. The Sri Lankan capital will experience heavy showers due to the low-level atmospheric disturbances around the island, according to the local meteorological department. (Photo by Chamila Karunarathne/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)





In this photograph taken on August 22, 2020, Sri Lanka's traditional fire dancers perform in front of the Bellanwila Temple as they take part in a procession during the Esala Perahera festival in Colombo. Esala Perahera festival, which usually draws thousands of spectators every year, took place with no spectator insight due to the restrictions amid COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP)





Buddhist monks wearing protective masks are seen on a deck at a beach, amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Colombo, Sri Lanka on August 24, 2020. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)





Health officials use swabs to collect test samples from people at a main market, amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Colombo, Sri Lanka, August 28, 2020. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)





Sri Lankan traditional dancers perform during the annual Perahera (street pageant) at Kotte Raja Maha Viharaya Buddhist temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka, August 29, 2020. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)





Sri Lankan municipal health workers collect a swab sample from a drug addict to test for COVID-19 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, September 11, 2020. (Photo by Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo)





Sri Lanka’s parliamentary speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena offers prayers during a Buddhist ceremony held at the National Parliament in Colombo on September 17, 2020. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





Booksellers wearing protective face shields sell books and other items during the “Colombo International Book Fair” in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 18 September 2020. The Colombo International Book Fair, organized by Sri Lanka Book Publishers' Association, is held every year for a week in September. This is the 22nd edition of the largest book fair in Sri Lanka. (Photo by Chamila Karunarathne/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)





A Sri Lankan child plays with plastic building blocks during a World Children's Day program in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 01 October 2020. Sri Lanka annually celebrates the World Children's Day on October 1. (Photo by Chamila Karunarathne/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)





Spectators watch a surfing competition organised to revive local tourism with national and international participants present on the island at Arugam Bay in the east of Sri Lanka on September 27, 2020. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





Traffic lights stop functioning on a street during a blackout in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on August 17, 2020. Sri Lanka faced a nationwide power failure due to a technical breakdown at a power station in Kerawalapitiya on the outskirts of capital Colombo, bringing businesses and daily life to a standstill. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images)





Sri Lankan traditional dancers perform with fire during the traditional ritual Gammaduwa ceremony in the Pannipitiya suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka, 13 September 2020. The traditional Gammaduwa, or village hut ceremony, is one of the most important rituals performed in the lowland areas of Sri Lanka. It is performed by Sinhala Buddhists for the prevention of diseases and for increased fertility. The ritual, which has South Indian origins, is performed throughout a night on behalf of the goddess Pattini. (Photo by Chamila Karunarathne/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)





In this photograph taken on August 29, 2020, a decorated elephant walks through a street in Piliyandala, a suburb of Sri Lanka's capital Colombo during the Esala Perahera festival. The festival, which usually draws thousands of spectators every year, took place with no spectator insight due to the restrictions amid Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP Photo)





In this photograph taken on August 3, 2020, fire-dancers perform in front of the historic Buddhist Temple of the Tooth, as they take part in a procession during the Esala Perahera festival in the ancient hill capital of Kandy, some 116 km from Colombo. Esala Perahera festival, which usually draws thousands of spectators every year, took place with no spectator insight due restrictions for the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





A mahout rides an elephant among the traffic down a street in Piliyandala, a suburb of Sri Lanka's capital Colombo on September 27, 2020. (Photo by Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP Photo)