Govt. optimistic all COVID-19 patients identified by 19 April

• Health Minister says time period likely since most patients from abroad and airport closed on 19 March
• One more patient diagnosed, total at 190, 49 recoveries
• Govt. moves all PCR test systems under Health Ministry in bid to broaden testing
• Army and Navy move 95 persons who were in contact with a COVID19 patient to quarantine centres
• 37 released from quarantine after PCR tests
• Tharapuram village in Mannar under lockdown, 900 families in quarantine

 Only one new COVID-19 case was identified yesterday, bringing the total case count to 190, which prompted Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi to be optimistic that the Government can identify all virus patients by 19 April.

“Out of the confirmed cases, 80 had recently returned from overseas. A total of 106 persons who were closely associated with the 80 tested positive for the virus,” Wanniarachchi explained, stressing that had the Government not closed the ports of entry, imposed a curfew, and brought the country to a standstill, the number may have been much higher. The Minister said that health experts have predicted that the 30 day period from 19 March to 19 April will enable them to track infected patients.

Addressing the press at the National Operations Centre for the Prevention of COVID-19 (NOCPOC), Director Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe said the one COVID-19 diagnosed patient yesterday was a female patient detected from Beruwala.  He was joined by Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, NOCPC Head Army Commander Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva and Police Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana.

“We have expanded the PCR test centres, with testing now happening at Ratnapura Hospital, at IDH, Kotelawala Defence University and the Apeksha Cancer Hospital,” he said pointing out that the Ministry of Higher Education has agreed to move the PCR test machines used by a number of universities under the purview of the Health Ministry, with the aim of expanding the nation’s testing capacity.

According to the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health, 134 active cases were being treated in three hospitals. A total of 92 patients are being treated at be the National Institute for Infectious Diseases (NIID), 27 at the Colombo East Base Hospital, and 16 at the Welikanda Base Hospital. The Unit also said that 242 suspected cases are under observation island-wide. Of the total confirmed cases, 44 are from the Colombo district, 34 are from Puttalam, and 26 are from Kalutara, the Unit said.

Due to a large number of persons being exposed to a COVID-19 patient, the village of Tharapuram in Mannar has been designated as an isolation village by health authorities. “There are about 900 families in Tharapuram, an estimated 4600 persons, therefore it is difficult for us to move them into quarantine centres. On advice from health authorities, the village was designated as a quarantine village,” explained Lt. Gen. Silva, pointing out that Atulugama and Akurana villages remain under lockdown as well. The armed forces and Police man a tight cordon around the villages, with only essential services permitted to enter.

According to Lt. Gen. Silva, 37 persons who completed a 28-day quarantine program were yesterday released after completing a medical examination. “The 37 persons released today had to remain in quarantine for 28 days, due to one person who was with them testing positive for COVID-19, therefore the others had to undergo another 14 days quarantine (28 days in total)  and underwent PCR testing twice, to ensure they had not been infected,” he added.

According to Silva, 3,495 persons have completed the quarantine program in the centres run by the armed forces and have been returned home. Another 1,311 remain in quarantine centres at present. The Sri Lanka Navy yesterday detained 28 persons in Ja-Ela who had been ordered by public health authorities to self-quarantine at home, after reports of them ignoring the order and traveling between villages using byroads reached authorities. Naval Intelligence has tracked their movements and the 28, detained by the Navy, were later moved to Oluvil quarantine centre, the Navy said in a press release.

The Army moved 67 persons who were in touch with three confirmed patients in Ratnapura to quarantine centres in Diyatalawa and Kahagolla as a precautionary measure, Lt. Gen. Silva added.

The Police department appeals to the public to adhere to curfew regulations, after 1,700 were arrested violating the curfew in the 24 hours ending early last morning, said DIG Ajith Rohana. “The data indicates that the public are not adhering to the curfew laws,” he charged, stressing that any person caught misusing curfew passes or essential services permits will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law. “Those who cross district borders without a proper permit will be sent to quarantine centres,” he stated. Overall, 19,000 plus people have been arrested for breaking curfew.