Sri Lankans lined up before polling stations opened on Wednesday, wearing masks and social distancing, to elect a new parliament.
Election officials wore transparent face shields while medical personnel were deployed to ensure voters kept strict rules to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
"There will be no chance of you getting infected by the coronavirus at polling stations," said the chairman of the Election Commission, Mahinda Deshapriya.
"The polling station is safer than the beach, the restaurant and the marketplace, it's totally corona free."
Sri Lanka had reported 2,828 cases of the coronavirus and 11 deaths as of Tuesday.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is seeking a two-thirds majority for his party in the 225-member parliament to enable constitutional reforms to boost his powers.
Votes are to be counted on Thursday and the results should be known that day.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the US was making progress in its efforts to negotiate an end to war with Iran, including winning an important concession from Tehran, while media outlets reported Washington had sent a 15-point settlement proposal.
The Pentagon is expected to send thousands of soldiers from the army's elite 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, according to reports on Tuesday, adding to the massive military buildup even as the Trump administration seeks talks with Iran.
The National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday that a system which would have allowed a New York airport controller to track movement of aircraft and vehicles did not alert during a Sunday night fatal collision between an Air Canada commercial jet and a truck that killed two pilots.
A rare Russian daytime drone attack on Ukraine killed three people, wounded several dozen and set a building in the historic centre of the western city of Lviv aflame on Tuesday, officials said, following an overnight bombardment that killed five.
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