Wednesday Nov 06, 2024
FT
Wednesday Nov 06, 2024
Monday, 27 January 2020 01:39 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
A committee has been appointed by the Health and Indigenous Medicine Services Ministry, following instructions by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Sri Lanka.
The committee is expected to meet Health Services Director General Dr. Anil Jasinghe at 11 a.m. today in order to develop a technical program to prevent the disease from spreading in the country. The committee is also expected to meet with Health and Indigenous Medicine Services Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi later in the day to discuss safety measures to be taken by the health services.
While Health Ministry Media Secretary Viraj Abeysinghe confirmed that reports on two foreign nationals being admitted to IDH yesterday on suspicions of having the disease were false, the Department of Government Information released a statement saying that government institutes have taken the necessary steps to prevent the spread of coronavirus if it is detected in the country.
Accordingly, any suspected cases detected at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) will be immediately transferred to the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) for further tests but the public is advised to take precautionary measures, including avoiding being in close proximity to those with coughs and colds.
Children, pregnant individuals, and the elderly are advised to avoid crowded places, while people must avoid constantly touching their nose and eyes and ensure they wash their hands thoroughly and use hand sanitiser and similar products. In addition to this, people are advised to cover their faces with a handkerchief or tissue when sneezing or coughing and discarding them in a proper manner.
Symptoms of coronavirus include high fever, cough, cold, and respiratory difficulties. The Ministry warns that medical professionals should be cautious when treating patients with these symptoms and inquire about their travel history as the virus has been found to remain in the patient’s body for up to two weeks. Thus a patient may only start showing symptoms two weeks after returning to the country.
