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No decision to lockdown for Christmas & New Year as of now: health & police officials
View(s):No decision has been taken as yet to clamp a blanket lockdown on the country during Christmas and New Year, both health and police officials said, urging people to behave responsibly and take all precautions so as not to support the spread of COVID-19.
“Perform your religious rituals at home or if you attend church services, follow our advice on hand hygiene, face-mask wearing and social distancing,” was the fervent plea of the Health Ministry’s Deputy Director-General (Public Health Services I), Dr. Hemantha Herath to Christians, while requesting all others not to party or gather together but to have early dinner at home and get a good night’s sleep on Christmas Eve, whether there is a lockdown or not. The same should be the norm for New Year’s Eve.
He urged media institutions too to act responsibly and not organize mass-scale entertainment events which would attract large crowds but stream such programmes into living rooms so that families can watch them in the safety of their homes, without exposing themselves to the danger of the virus.
Random testing in progress in Aluthgama, Bentota on Friday. Pic by Thusitha Kumara De Silva
As Christmas and New Year draw close, Dr. Herath appealed to people to limit shopping and buy their requirements from places close to their homes.
This was as Police Spokesman, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Ajith Rohana said that as of Thursday, no decision had been made to impose a lockdown during the festive season.
When asked, he said that around 1,600 people who violated the quarantine law, mainly in the Western Province, by not wearing face masks and not maintaining social distancing, in the second wave have been arrested and charges have been filed. But as the courts are closed, a majority have been released on police bail.
Pointing out that big festivals or carnivals will not be permitted this season, the Public Health Inspectors’ (PHIs’) Union Secretary M. Balasooriya said that as such there is no need for an all-island lockdown.
Referring to several events which could have paved the way for a virus-spread, Mr. Balasooriya said a doctor in Gampola had thrown four parties to celebrate his transfer; a Christmas event had been held in a restaurant-hub in Colombo 2; and a religious organization had held a meeting for a large number of people without adhering to health guidelines and not under the supervision of the PHIs.
Raising more concerns, he said that some spas and salons have opened even though they have not been given permission to do so. These establishments do not take the essential contact details of their customers and if a positive case is reported, contact tracing would be impossible. Public transport, where none of the health guidelines is adhered to, was another worry.
| Random testing of those leaving WP The Health Ministry along with the police, initiated a programme on Friday to carry out random Rapid Antigen and RT-PCR Tests on people leaving the Western Province (WP) for other parts of the country. This is to prevent the spread of the virus through the movement of people, said Health Services DG Dr. Asela Gunawardena. The points at which the tests are being done are: Nittambuwa on the Colombo-Kandy Road; close to Negombo on the Colombo-Chilaw Road; Kosgama-Salawa on the Colombo-Ratnapura Road; and Beruwela on the Colombo-Matara Road.
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| Committee to look into getting private hospitals on board A committee is to be appointed to check the feasibility of allowing private hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients, said Deputy Director-General (DDG), Dr. G. Wijesuriya who was this week appointed to oversee the workings of the Private Health Regulatory Council (PHRC). The PHRC established under the Health Ministry in 2006 monitors all private medical institutions registered under it. It is chaired by the DG of Health Services. |