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Avurudu: Don’t get or give COVID-19
With the Sinhala and Tamil New Year around the corner, a strong plea went out from top health officials to celebrate avurudu but with care and caution with regard to COVID-19.
Dr. Palitha Karunapema
Don’t give COVID-19 and don’t get COVID-19 – five officials stressed at a media briefing on Thursday, pointing out that it lies in the hands of people to celebrate the New Year, strictly adhering to essential and basic health precautions.
The officials who addressed the resumed – after a lapse of about two months – COVID-19 media briefing at the Health Promotion Bureau (HPB) were the Additional Secretary (Public Health Services), Dr. Lakshmi Somatunga; the Deputy Director-General (Public Health Services I), Dr. S.M. Arnold; the Deputy Director-General (Public Health Services II), Dr. Susie Perera; the Chief Epidemiologist, Dr. Sudath Samaraweera; and the HPB Director, Dr. Palitha Karunapema.
Dr. Somatunga went back in time to the 1918 Spanish flu and how when people relaxed after that pandemic, a second wave struck fast and hard. She urged people to keep to all the preventive health measures during the festivities so that history would not repeat itself with COVID-19 too.
“The important thing in any communicable disease (CD) is controlling it and breaking the chain of transmission. Some other countries are going back into lockdown because of COVID-19 but we have not done so. So let’s safeguard what we have gained in curbing COVID-19. Eka ape athe thiyenne,” she said, pointing out that “it is in our hands”.
Follow the preventive measures of face-mask wearing, hand hygiene, distancing and cough and sneeze etiquette and if others around you are not doing so, gently tell them to do so, she added.
(From left): Dr. Susie Perera, Dr. Lakshmi Somatunga, Dr. S.M. Arnold and Dr. Sudath Samaraweera. Pix by M.D. Nissanka
Rejecting allegations that the number of RT-PCR tests being done is low and inadequate, Dr. Samaraweera said that there is a reduction in the number of people affected by COVID-19. As such first contact numbers are also less and this is why the test numbers have reduced. “Pokuru wate aya adu-wela.”
However, he assured that random testing is being carried out and that is how they picked up the infections in Jaffna. Testing is being done on a scientific basis.
He said that during the New Year, people from high-risk areas would be travelling to their villages. Strangers or friends can be infected and carrying the infection. So take all health precautions.
“Think intelligently when taking part in the festivities,” said Dr. Perera, pointing out that customs and traditions can be adhered to as a family.
However, be wary of large gatherings such as musical events and sanakeli in this new normal of COVID-19, she said, adding that kamba edema (tug-of-war), large-scale sangeetha sandarshana where people would take to dancing without a care for distancing and masks are a “no, no”.