May 5 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan shares closed higher on Wednesday, helped by gains in financial and consumer staples. * The CSE All-Share Index rose 0.49% to 7,145.97. On Tuesday the index fell 1.4%, its worst one-day fall since April 27. * Sri Lanka reported 1,914 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, after seeing a record increase on Monday, while overall deaths have crossed 700 so far, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally. * The island nation’s government had last month imposed fresh restrictions on public gatherings to help contain the surge in infections. * Diversified holding company Expolanka Holdings Plc and cigarette maker Ceylon Tobacco Company Plc were the top boosts, gaining 1.6% and 2.9%, respectively. * Trading volumes fell to 74.2 million from 195.5 million in the previous session. * Foreign investors were net sellers in the equity market, offloading shares worth 127 million Sri Lankan rupees ($647,959.18) according to exchange data. * Equity market turnover was 890.3 million rupees. * For a report on global markets, click * For a report on major currencies, click ($1 = 196.0000 Sri Lankan rupees) (Reporting by Nallur Sethuraman in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber) Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.