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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 of Health announced that those who were arriving from countries other than Italy, South Korea and Iran should go into two weeks of self-quarantine in their residences. This directive came before the government on March 13 stopped all the passengers from European countries.
The pastor arrived in the country on March 11 with mild fever and went straight to Jaffna in a private vehicle arranged from the airport. In Jaffna, he took part in many social engagements including a ceremony of laying the foundation for a Montessori school before conducting prayers at the Philadelphia Missionary Church in Jaffna on March 15 with more than 200 devotees taking part.
The next day (March 16), he flew back to Zurich after a three -hour long transit in Dubai. He had a medical certificate issued by the Bandaranaike International Airport Medical Centre. It cleared him as ‘fit to fly’ though he was suffering from mild fever. The medical certificate seen by the Sunday Times indicated that though the pastor had fever, there were no complaints of any other mild symptoms that would suggest him being infected with COVID-19.
The 61-year-old pastor, who is also an ailing diabetic patient was hospitalised with coronavirus symptoms shortly after he returned to Switzerland. He was tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday and is now under medical care in a Zurich hospital.
Pastor Selvarajah Rameswaran John, who administers the Philadelphia Missionary Church in Jaffna and associated closely with the Switzerland based pastor during his stay in Jaffna told the Sunday Times that even though authorities instructed not to conduct common prayers in churches, his church organised a prayer with a limited congregation, while proper precautionary measures were put in place.
“We instructed our devotees to keep the social distance during prayers and even we made seating arrangements accordingly. I conducted the prayers and the Swiss pastor joined at the end. He led prayers for over thirty minutes and left. There were no personal interactions with him,” said Pastor John, who is now in quarantine along with some 20 Church staff at the Army run Thalsevana Holiday Resort in Kankesanthurai (KKS).
With fake news and misinformation coupled with distorted facts used to criticise the conduct of the Missionary church in social media over the incident, Pastor John regretted that many of his churchgoers were subjected to humiliation and facing the danger of being outcast in society. “I’m not sure how I will be treated in society after I return from the quarantine process,” he said.
As the Northern Province is under total lockdown for days after a local tested positive for COVID-19 last week, provincial healthcare officials are trying to trace people who interacted with the pastor and those who attended a church prayers. About 1500 people are in quarantine at their houses or military-run centres.
The Northern Province Governor’s Office launched an investigation this week into how the Swiss pastor arrived in the country on March 13, took part in church prayers and social engagements before he returned to his home country after two days without being subjected to any police probe or medical inspection by health authorities.
“I don’t know what happened exactly as I came to knowabout this incident through the media. We have launched an investigation. I’ll submit the report to the Presidential Secretariat soon,” Governor P. S. M. Charles told reporters.
The Governor’s Office probe came in the wake of reports that Provincial Health Services Director Dr. A. Ketheeswaran, who issued a public notice immediately urging those who took part in prayers to register with his office, had a dispute with a senior police officer in Jaffna. The police officer told the health officer that his announcement caused panic among the public. Dr. Ketheeswaran declined to comment.
Meanwhile, a local contractor who interacted with the Swiss Pastor was tested positive on Monday at Jaffna Teaching Hospital and was transferred to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (IDH) for further treatment.
On Wednesday, security forces personnel and Public Health Inspectors (PHI) carried out a disinfection process and an awareness campaign in Thavadi where the contractor lives. Local Government authorities are distributing relief food through cooperative societies since many families are under a self-quarantine process in this village.
Jaffna District Secretary Kanapathipillai Mahesan told The Sunday Times that the healthcare staff in the region had been mobilised to do the ‘contact tracing’ of those who took part in the prayers and had engagements with the pastor immediately with the assistance of the security forces.
“We have been able to track a Manipay pastor from coordinated the prayers to obtain information regarding the devotees who took part. With him being under self-quarantine, we have also been able to track other families and instructed them to undergo the quarantine processes. We are closely monitoring the situation,” the District Secretary Mahesan said while stressing the need for people to cooperate with the authorities.