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The Sri Lanka Air Force built a special 16-bed wing at the National Institute for Infectious Diseases (former IDH) within nine days to house Covid-19 patients. Here a worker is seen installing transparent panels at the emergency section to protect doctors and other medical staff when patients are brought for tests and treatment. Pic by [...]
Six-month debt relief for tourism, apparel and affected industries
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has been called upon to impose a six months debt moratorium for tourism, apparel and industries affected by the coronavirus crisis immediately. It has also been asked to provide working capital at four percent interest. Ministers have authorised the Cabinet Secretary to give a direction to the CBSL. [...]
Peradeniya dons to produce ventilators
To fight the corona battle, ventilators are being produced by a multidisciplinary team of specialists from the Peradeniya University’s medical and engineering faculties in collaboration with the National Institute of Fundamental Studies in Kandy. According to Anaesthesiology and Critical Care Professor Vaanthi Pinto, the spokesperson for the specialist team, they had come together to produce ventilators [...]
Lanka records first Covid-19 death
Sri Lanka reported its first death from COVID-19 at around 8 p.m. yesterday, the victim being a 60-year-old male who had other complications. The patient from Marawila was among three who were on ventilators at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Angoda, and Health Services Director-General Dr. Anil Jasinghe said that this patient who [...]
Curfew to continue
The curfew imposed in the Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara and Jaffna districts will continue until further notice, Police said. The curfew currently in operation in all other districts will end at 6 a.m. tomorrow (Monday) and re-imposed at 2 p.m.
US provides $1.3m for Covid battle
The US Government will provide US$ 1.3 million in funding to Sri Lanka as part of its international emergency and humanitarian assistance efforts to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The US State Department said in a statement yesterday that the funding would help the Sri Lankan Government prepare laboratory systems, activate case-finding and event-based surveillance, [...]
ACJU issues guidelines for Muslim funerals
The All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU) has addressed concerns with regard to the final rites of a Muslim in the event of a death due to the prevailing Covid-19. The statement read, “When a death occurs in the country, with the will of Allah, people are compelled to gather in order to fulfil the final [...]
Text message to help blood donors visit centres
The National Blood Transfusion Service, the blood bank, is seeking approval from the Defence Ministry for donors to use a text message as a curfew pass to come to donation centres. Its director, Dr. Lakshman Edirisinghe, said a significant drop in the number of donors during the curfew led to the request. “Our main donations [...]
SPC to buy Covid-19 medicine from Japanese firm
The State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) and the Japanese firm Fujifilm Toyama Pharmaceutical Co Ltd–the manufacturer of a Japanese anti-flu drug that could treat Covid-19 patients–have signed an agreement for Sri Lanka to purchase the medication which is called “Favipiravir” (Avigan). The contract was facilitated in a collaboration between Sri Lanka’s Embassy in Tokyo with the [...]
Moves to track down those who attended Swiss pastor’s prayer service in Jaffna
Despite strict regulations of two week mandatory self-isolation for those who come from abroad, a Switzerland-based pastor who tested positive for the novel coronavirus recently arrived in the country, conducted prayers at a missionary church in Jaffna and left the country with a questionable medical certificate issued at the airport. On March 9, the Ministry [...]
Europe’s virus toll surges, Wuhan cautiously reopens
ROME March 28 (AFP) – The death toll from the coronavirus epidemic in Europe surged past 20,000 on Saturday, even as the Chinese city where the outbreak began cautiously returned to life. Europe and the United States are facing a staggering increase in new cases of COVID-19 — despite perhaps a third of humanity now [...]
Police get tough on curfew violators
In view of what they call “irresponsible and indisciplined behaviour” by members of the public, who continue to disregard the curfew imposed to minimise the spread of the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country, police have now decided to crack down even more heavily against violators who are putting both their own lives and those [...]
15,000 on tourist visas still here
Around 15,000 people who arrived on tourist visas are still here in the country while a few more flights are due in the next few days enabling them to leave the country, officials said. The highest number were from India and China with 2,386 and 2,131 respectively while there were also 1,570 from Russia, 1,200 [...]
New 50-billion-rupee refinance facility from Central Bank
A 50 billion-rupee six-month refinancing facility was announced by the Central Bank (CB) on Friday, to support COVID-19- affected businesses including individuals and those self-employed. The scheme will help tourism, direct and indirect export-related businesses including apparel, IT, tea, spices, plantation and related logistic suppliers, SMEs involved in manufacturing, services, agriculture (including processing), construction, value [...]
Bread and pastry vendors missing from usual rounds
Most people had not been able to buy bakery products despite efforts to operate mobile vendors better known as “Chuun pan Karayas’’ to distribute items including bread and pastries. Particularly, in Colombo and suburbs, people who depend on mobile vendors even on normal days could not be served due to some issues, including police preventing [...]
Covid crisis may clip 1.5 percentage points off 2020 growth rate
Sri Lanka’s economy is heading for a major setback as a result of the COVID-19 crisis with preliminary estimates showing it would clip 1.1 to 1.5 percent points off from this year’s economic growth, according to official figures. Central Bank Governor W.D. Lakshman told reporters recently that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would be between [...]
Robot at the beck and call of COVID-19 suspected patients at Homagama hospital
It has not been named yet, but a very active robot is now serving all the COVID-19 suspected patients who are at the Homagama Base Hospital – a home-grown creation. This automated guided vehicle (AGV) taking a cup of tea to one, communicating a message from another to the healthcare staff, which will be at [...]
Ayurveda products keenly sought to guard against virus
As the number of COVID-19 cases rise, people are turning to ayurvedic treatments to boost their immunity system, with attention focusing on preventive measures until a cure is found. Ayurveda product shops are reporting a jump in sales since coronavirus came to light. The owner of one shop, Udaya Karunaratne, said customers were enthusiastically buying [...]
Living in the times of ‘quarantine curfew’
As Sri Lanka went into lockdown with different areas facing curfews at different times, the districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara and Jaffna have been assessed as ‘high-risk’. While many commended the good work done by the public health officials down to the grassroots, the other sectors which worked night and day ensuring a [...]
SL seems on a good wicket but airport closure should continue to stop re-entry of virus
Stay home and be vigilant, is the plea Stay home, was still the strong plea by health authorities, with cautious optimism that Sri Lanka was headed in the right direction in its efforts to stymie the spread of the new coronavirus. “We are detecting COVID-19 patients and actively tracing all those who may have come [...]
Elders need special protection – SLAGM
Let us save our parents and grandparents from the coronavirus infection, stressed the President of the Sri Lanka Association of Geriatric Medicine, Dr. Padma Gunaratne, pointing out that the safety of our seniors is our responsibility. “We appeal to all sons and daughters to keep their parents separate and isolated if they are more than [...]
Crippling uncertainty hits the self-employed
First there was silence. Then a deep sigh. “I have no words to speak,” he said. “That is the simplest way to explain our situation”. Lalith Dharmasekera, 57, leads the All Island Three-Wheeler Drivers’ Union. An estimated 850,000 people are living off the trade, he said. Apart from those aligned with companies approved for food [...]
Curfew and commotion: Ad-hocism adds chaos to growing fears
Scenes of unprecedented long queues at grocery shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, ATM machines and fuel stations were witnessed throughout out the country this week no sooner the curfew was lifted in the respective districts, as the government struggled to get the food, medicine and banking sector operations right. Last Monday, well before the curfew imposed to [...]
Fruit and veggies will soon rot with no one to harvest crops, say Kalpitiya farmers
Farmers in Kalpitiya face a dilemma as they are unable to harvest their fruit and vegetable that are fast ripening and will soon perish. Although there are no restrictions on engaging in agricultural activities and work related to paddy cultivation and harvesting, cultivators are finding it difficult to find workers. With the prevailing curfew recruiting [...]
224 people in self-quarantine, food programmes underway in Monaragala district
In keeping with the government’s directive, 224 people who have returned from abroad are in self-quarantine at their homes in the Monaragala district and they are being closely monitored by health officials. This was revealed at a meeting with officials of the district’s Covid-19 prevention task force. Medical Officers of Health (MOHs), public health inspectors [...]
Ceylon tea embroiled in mixed bag of worries
Sri Lanka’s tea industry faces numerous challenges in its export markets as the auction this week has been postponed and a drought has severely impeded production. As the plantations face cash problems, exporters are embroiled in further issues as the coronavirus pandemic has led to a shutdown of the country and most offices are running [...]
Drop in oil prices will help lessen Sri Lanka’s import bill
Oil is set to hit US$ 10 a barrel, international reports said, and this will provide relief to the Sri Lanka Government whose import bill will lessen on account of the decline. Prices are dropping due to storage space running out to stock the extra oil that Saudi Arabia is planning to produce despite global [...]
To Lockdown or impose curfew—that is the question
The Covid-19 Pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to the world and almost brought day-to-day life to a standstill in nearly 200 countries. Different countries have adopted diverse strategies to curtail the spread of the virus with different degrees of success. The variation in the rates of success of these strategies is not always to do [...]
Chaos as thousands crowd transport home for Free Trade Zone workers
Katunayake Free Trade Zone (FTZ) workers, many of whom had suffered great hardship in curfew lockdown, were finally able to return to their hometowns on Friday amidst chaos and crowds causing concern during a pandemic situation. Organisations representing FTZ workers charge that a late measure of requesting hundreds of workers to gather for transport to [...]
Presidential pardon for former Army Sergeant Sunil Ratnayake: UN Human Rights Chief expresses concern
The Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed serious concern over President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s decision to pardon former Army Sergeant Sunil Ratnayake, convicted perpetrator of the Mirusavil massacre. Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, noted that Sergeant Ratnayake was sentenced in 2015 for the murder in [...]
Trend of men deserting homes, say activists but no spike in domestic violence during curfew
The National Committee on Women (NCW) has received complaints of men leaving families to fend for themselves but activists have not observed a particular spike in domestic in violence during the ongoing curfew. “I have had to send rations to six houses just today,” Shiranthi Dissanayake, Chairperson of the National Committee on Women (NCW), said [...]
First Lankan to die of Covid-19 overseas faced language difficulty to understand health advice
A 59-year-old Sri Lankan national died in Switzerland this week while on a two week long self-quarantine after testing positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). This would be the first death of a Sri Lankan national in a foreign soil due to the global pandemic. The Sri Lanka Embassy in Berlin informed the Ministry of [...]
In the face of fighting COVID-19
Pix by Indika Handuwala, M.A.Pushpakumara, Sameera Weerasekara, Karuwalagaswewa Jayaratna and Kanchana Kumara.
Curfew brings back old-time amusements along with new toys
People are watching the street scene from their balconies, playing music, singing, studying nature and talking more to family members – old leisure habits revived to cope with hours spent cooped up at home during curfew. This, of course, is in addition to modern habits of surfing the net, skipping from app to app to [...]
Drug addicts show withdrawal symptoms as curfew continues
With much of the country all but locked down for over a week due to a curfew aimed at minimising the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country, those addicted to drugs are starting to experience severe withdrawal symptoms due to their inability to obtain drugs. This has created issues both for the addicts [...]
A helping hand to those struggling to survive
Thousands of low low-income families around the country are undergoing severe difficulties owing to the ongoing curfew to stop the spread of COVID-19. Many of these families comprise daily wage earners and survival is becoming much harder with each passing day. Fellow Lankans however, are stepping up to help them in their hour of need. [...]