Govt steps up precautions against Coronavirus spread

The Sri Lankan government decided to step up its precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus as the number of people killed in China by the virus has risen to 80, with almost 3,000 confirmed ill.

A Health Ministry spokesman said that as one of precautions they hope to increase the number of scanners at the Bandaranaike International Airport to ensure that all passengers pass by scanning machines.

Currently only four scanners have been installed focusing mostly on the passengers who arrive from China, he said.

He said as another precaution health teams hope to visit locations where Chinese are employed in large numbers and carryout out health checks.

Due to large scale construction projects the presence of the number of Chinese workers also are high in Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile four persons who were admitted to the IDH hospital on suspicion of carrying the coronavirus have proved to be negative. However another passenger from Philippines and another from Pakistan have been admitted to the IDH hospital for observation.

Meanwhile international reports said Wuhan in Hubei, the source of the outbreak, is in lockdown and several cities have imposed travel bans.

Health commission officials said on Monday the number of deaths in Hubei province had climbed from 56 to 76, with four deaths elsewhere.

The overall number of confirmed cases in China is 2,744. State media say more than 300 are critically ill, agency reports said.

Another 41 cases have been confirmed abroad, including in Thailand, the United States, and Australia. There have been no deaths outside China.