<span style="color: #222222;">Sri Lanka's Election Commission has said that it would be extremely difficult to hold the Parliamentary elections scheduled on 5th of August without the government legalizing the health guidelines as sporadic cases of COVID continue to be reported. <br />''<br />''Chairman of the Election Commission Mahinda Deshapriya said, the political leaders were not adhering to the health guidelines while campaigning, thus jeopardizing the lives of the people attending the campaign. He said, the commission will meet again today to take stock of the current situation and decide whether elections can be held as scheduled.<br />'' <br />'' Election observer group PAFFREL and  association of the Public Health Inspectors also said that the government should take steps to gazette the election related health guidelines without delay. The election for the 225-member Parliament has already been delayed twice due to COVID outbreak.  <br />''<br />''Meanwhile, nine new cases of COVID were identified positive yesterday including a close contact of a rehabilitation centre where more than five hundred people have tested positive over the past week.  Health authorities said that 20 patients have been identified outside the rehabilitation centre and that 16 of them were identified from Rajanganaya, which has been put under lockdown. <br />''<br />''Those who came in contact with patients have been self-quarantined and efforts for contact tracing are on. Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe has said that there currently is no reason to enforce another lockdown in the country, as the current cluster remains limited in its reach.</span><br />