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Wavering Covid-19 preventive measures amid mixed signals from authorities
Queue at a liquor store in Hambantota. Pic by Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi
As the number of Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 patients rises significantly, Government measures to relax the curfew imposed to contain the spread of disease have become mired in confusion and embarrassing reversals.
The latest incident came about early yesterday. A media release issued by Police Headquarters at the unusual time of 1.25 a.m. stated that an islandwide curfew imposed at 8 p.m. on Friday (24) will be lifted at 5 a.m. on Monday (27). This included the entire Western Province (Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara districts) and the Puttalam district — districts that had been designated as “high risk zones” and which had been under an indefinite curfew for more than a month.
The statement came just hours after the country recorded the largest single day increase in the number of COVID-19 patients, with 49 being reported on Friday. The country was also dealing with two large COVID-19 clusters; one at Bandaranayake Mawatha, Colombo 12 and the other at the Welisara Navy Base in the Gampaha district.
Adding to the confusion, the police statement said that even though the curfew would be lifted the public would be strictly prohibited from entering or leaving the three Western Province districts and the Puttalam district.
“We have no idea about this release. They didn’t consult us before issuing it,” said a Health Ministry official who spoke on grounds of anonymity. Police later clarified that what it wanted to convey was that an island-wide curfew was in effect over the weekend and that it would continue till 5 am on Monday. No decision, however, had been taken on lifting the curfew in the Western Province and the Puttalam district as at Saturday morning, police also clarified. That decision was in the hands of medical experts.
Yesterday’s episode was the latest among several such confusing statements and embarrassing reversals on the part of authorities. On last Saturday (18) morning, senior Health Ministry officials explained to the Sunday Times that the Western province would be opened up on a phased basis from early next month. This was while restrictions in other areas would be eased from April 20.
Yet, that same evening, the Presidential Secretariat put out a statement stating that except in certain identified police divisions, curfew in the Western Province and the Puttalam district would be lifted daily from 5.00am on April 22 and reimposed at 8.00pm. Curfew in other districts would be lifted from 5 am daily starting from April 20 and would be reimposed at 8 pm, it said. The Presidential Secretariat statement said the decision to lift the curfew had been taken “with the objective of restoring normalcy in the civilian life.”
By Sunday (19), though, the situation changed again with more COVID-19 patients being reported from Bandaranayake Mawatha in Colombo 12. By then, the realisation had dawned that they were dealing with a large cluster of patients. On Monday (20) morning, a fresh statement was issued by the President’s Office extending curfew in the Western Province and the Puttalam district until 5 am on April 27.
A Health Ministry source said lifting the curfew in the Western province became impossible as more and more patients began to be identified from the Colombo 12 area, leading to the decision to keep the province and the Puttalam district, which was also a danger zone, under curfew for another week at least.
Meanwhile, in districts where curfew was lifted, liquor shops drew a large crowd on Monday after the Excise Department gave them the go ahead to open for business during non-curfew hours. The decision ran counter to advice from medical experts and the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA).
The move was to backfire immediately. In many districts, where curfew was lifted, long queues formed outside liquor shops, despite the Government urging people to stay at home as much as possible and to only venture out of their homes for work. Social distancing guidelines were non-existent. Some weren’t even wearing masks. While public transport operated in the districts where curfew was lifted, Minister of Passenger Transport Management Mahinda Amaraweera claimed some people had used public transport sorely for the purpose of traveling to liquor shops.
There were also reports that some who collected the one-time Rs 5000 allowance given by the Government to mitigate the economic impact on them due to COVID-19 went immediately to the nearest liquor store once they collected the money.
By Tuesday (21), the President’s Media Division (PMD) issued a statement declaring that all liquor shops would remain closed until further notice. The statement did not give any reasons for the decision, but it was clear that scenes witnessed at liquor shops the day before had played a part in the decision.
Deputy Excise Commissioner Kapila Kumarasinghe said while the Government was losing revenue over the decision to keep liquor shops closed, it is a necessary “sacrifice” in the wider struggle against COVID-19. “Society at large anyway does not approve keeping liquor shops open at this time,” he added.
Meanwhile, GMOA Media Spokesman Dr Samantha Ananda has criticised the Government for ignoring its exit strategy presented to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on April 4.
“If the Government had accepted our exit strategy, it may have been able to take a serious look at opening up Colombo district by the end of this month,” he said. Dr Ananda claimed if the Government adhered to the steps in their exit strategy, issues that have come up regarding outbreaks on Bandaranayake Mawatha in Colombo and the Welisara Navy Base may not have occurred. “They did not adhere to that and now the whole country is in trouble,” he said.
In fact, proposals given by many medical experts had suggested a gradual lifting of restrictions. Yet the Government has cited the strain on the country’s economy and the effect a continued lockdown has on people’s livelihood as reasons for moving forward to lift restrictions.
Elections, too, have played a part. Earlier this month, Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi infamously claimed that the Government would be able to identify all COVID-19 patients by April 19. The date was significant that on April 20, the Election Commission was to meet with health authorities to discuss setting a date for the 2020 parliamentary elections. The announcement on the lifting of curfew also came on the evening of April 18. Opposition parties seized on these to accuse the Government of trying to force the EC’s hand to declare an early date for the election.