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COVID-19 situation in SL under control, say officials urging public to be more responsible
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'Isolated area': Nagalagam Veediya, Grandpass. Pix by Lahiru Harshana
The situation is under control as Sri Lanka eases the lockdown gradually in high-risk areas, maintains strong vigilance and conducts more community testing for COVID-19, a high-level health official said.
Urging people to keep to the strict preventive measures laid down by the health authorities such as social distancing, hand hygiene and wearing of face-masks, the Health Ministry’s Deputy Director-General (DDG), Public Health Service, Dr. Paba Palihawadana said that COVID-19 infections are emerging now mainly from the navy cluster.
“All necessary measures are being taken to curb infections within this cluster,” she said, adding that even yesterday there was a meeting with naval authorities.
While decrying how people flocked to bars and taverns without a thought for preventive measures, she requested responsibility from society to ensure that individuals did not contract this virus as well as did not give it to others.
With community testing being discussed at length at different levels, Dr. Palihawadana said that of the nearly 2,000 RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests, about 50% are done in the community.
“We are testing high-risk communities as well as carrying out random tests such as at bus-halts,” she added.
This week, the ‘isolated area’ of Sudewella, Ja-ela, was opened, according to the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak.
While some areas in Beruwala and Kandy had been opened on May 3, Suduwella followed on May 15.
With regard to Bandaranayake Mawatha, Keselwatte, the Chief Medical Officer of Health of the Colombo Municipal Council, Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni, said that the first positive case was found on April 15.
When tests found positive cases emerging from the area, three groups comprising 230, 310 and 320 people were sent to the Punanai quarantine centre, while everyone else was asked to be in self-quarantine in this isolated area. The final group at the quarantine centre will return home on May 23, he said.
Testing of people at Bandaranayake Mawatha is continuing and yesterday 60 samples were taken. The roads in this area have been opened for traffic but people living at Bandaranayake Mawatha have been asked to remain indoors in self-quarantine until these test results are received, which Dr. Wijayamuni was expecting last night.
Sri Lanka has a total of 935 ‘confirmed’ COVID-19 cases, with nine deaths and 520 recoveries. The others are being treated in hospital. There are 106 ‘suspected’ cases under observation.
