Even before the discovery of a new COVID strain in Britain set off a worldwide scare end December, Lankans returning from abroad since November have been hustled into high priced hotels to be quarantined for 14 days as paying guests, in what can, perhaps, be described, beneath the euphemisms used, as an ‘extortion’ racket that benefits friendly hoteliers in the name of health concerns.

Though the British fright made the Lankan Government cancel all flights from London, it didn’t halt the chartered flights coming from one of the worst COVID hit countries in Eastern Europe, Ukraine which was reporting an average of 8,000 new cases and 200 deaths per day; and which, from Friday, has been locked down till January 24.

THE DAY THE BIO BUBBLE BURST: Tourism Minister Ranatunge, masked but with nose exposed, flanked by Tourism Development Authority Chief, Kimarli Fernando, admits at a news conference on Monday that they failed to follow protocols and guidelines in the Ukraine tourist project

While returning Lankan citizens were incarcerated at their own expense in hotel rooms at relatively exorbitant rates and not allowed out even in a ‘quickie’ bubble, for a spot of fresh air and exercise during their 14 day sentence, the visiting Ukrainian tourists were enjoying an idyllic holiday in quarantine, joyously cavorting on the southern sun kissed beach strip.

Though strict health guidelines have been codified and gazetted and, according to Police Spokesman Ajith Rohana, regular warnings to the Lankan public were being strictly enforced with imprisonment for violators, it soon became apparent the health authorities were bending the ground rules to accommodate the whims and convenience of the Ukrainian tourists.

For starters, despite three tourists testing positive for COVID on the day they arrived in Lanka, and another three the following day, making suspect all other tourists who flew and shared the same, possibly, COVID contaminated air in the enclosed pressurised plane as the coronavirus afflicted, the strict period of quarantine is reduced from 14 days to 7 days in blatant breach of the health authorities’ ordained health guidelines for the rest of Lanka.

Secondly, unlike the Sri Lankan returnees who have to remain crammed in claustrophobic hotel rooms with no let-up to their paid misery, the Ukrainian tourists are allowed, during their quarantine, the freedom of sandy beaches to sizzle in the sun and bathe in its warm rays, and receive much prized tans as take home souvenirs of their bohemian holiday on their island in the sun.

Thirdly, even before the reduced seven-day quarantine period is over, they are whisked away to receive a marine treat in Mirissa. They are in for a spot of whale watching in the deep sea on a yacht. Then it’s off to Yala, where in a convoy of  safari jeeps,  they set off to watch the wild life on offer, after having first flung their face masks with gay abandon, thus bursting the imaginary, COVID proof ‘bio’ bubble in which they are supposed to be  cocooned and travel in at all times of the tour.

When the convoy returns, the local drivers who drove the mask-less tourists and had been exposed to the COVID threat as a result, find to their chagrin that they are ordered to be quarantined for 14 days. Due to this fiasco, as part of damage control, the planned visits to Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa and the Dalada Maligawa on January 4 and 5 were put on hold.

And this after the Tourist Minister Prasanna Ranatunga saying two weeks ago, the tourists will travel in a Bio Bubble and will not have any contact with any Sri Lankan whatsoever. Addressing a news conference on Tuesday over the Ukraine fiasco, he himself had to come down from his high horse bubble on Monday and admit that they had failed to follow protocols and guidelines. So did the Health Ministry which stated it had to rectify the mistakes by a few Ukraine tourists when the airports were reopened on December 26 last year.

But above all, the authorities must realise that health is no respecter of persons. It can bless one today merely by dwelling within or leave on accursed by fleeing the flesh. Thus, though all other laws can be flexed to suit certain customs or times, the law for health must be iron clad and must be for all. It is most dangerous when bent for expediency, even worse when it’s twisted for money.

The question as to whether it is safe to bury Muslims who have died of COVID or whether their burial will lead to the coronavirus seeping to the environment to infect the community at large had been a controversial issue ever since the first Muslim death was reported. Finally, the government referred the matter to an ‘expert’ committee for a decision.

On Thursday, Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi asserted that the decision taken by the experts’ committee had been to cremate all COVID-19 related dead bodies and this will not be changed on any social, religious, political or personal grounds.

She told Parliament: “We will implement that recommendation firmly. We will not change such experts’ opinion at this point where the country is facing a serious pandemic situation. Hence, under no social, religious, political or personal grounds, this decision will be revoked.”

If that’s the firm stance the Government has taken in the face of intense Muslim feeling, given the fear of an outbreak ‘when the country is facing a serious pandemic,’ the other gazetted health guidelines, too, must stand firm and not be changed, bent, made lax or ignored on any social, religious, political or personal grounds or for commercial reasons to gratify Mammon.

The health law must be one for all.