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Tuesday, 31 March 2020 01:36 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka recorded its second COVID-19 death yesterday, as total cases climbing to 122 with 106 being active patients.
Five new cases were recorded yesterday and with the second death recorded the Government urged the public to comply with COVID-19 countermeasures, while applauding public resilience in the face of hardship.
The second victim, a 64-year-old male resident of Kochchikade, died at the Negombo hospital last evening after being transferred from a private hospital in the area. The deceased was only identified as a COVID-19 case yesterday.
According to the Information Department, the deceased is believed to have a long-term respiratory illness and also suffered from heart disease.
Addressing the media , Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi urged the public to comply with the public health regulations put in place to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. Wanniarachchi argued that Sri Lanka has managed to maintain a low impact ratio in comparison to developed countries due to early action and strict enforcement.
The Health Minister conceded that there were many hardships faced by the public, but urged them to uphold the regulations put in place.
Health Services Director Dr. Anil Jasinghe told the media that the home delivery mechanism for medicines was launched yesterday, with 1,100 private pharmacies earmarked to deliver medication to those who received treatment at private health institutions. Patients who have obtained prescriptions from Government hospitals and clinics will have their medication delivered to them via the Postal Department, he explained.
The delivery of medicines has become a serious issue with many people taking to social media to vent frustration at the inefficiency of the system put in place. Many complained that the telephone numbers which were introduced for patients to send their prescriptions to the said pharmacies for deliveries are unreachable.
While acknowleding that there were teething issues with the proposed delivery systemp1 Dr. Jasinghe urged that the measures were taken to prevent the public from gathering and reduce the rate of transmission. “There will be some issues but I am confident in a few days this system will work well, even in rural areas,” he stated.
According to Dr. Jasinghe, the health authorities are monitoring 2,210 persons who were in direct contact with the 122 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of the 122 confirmed cases, 98 are being treated at the IDH, with nine being treated at the Welikanda Hospital and one at the Colombo East Hospital.
The health authorities and the COVID-19 task force has planned for contingencies if the number of cases increase, Jasinghe said, pointing out that specific hospitals have been earmarked, equipped and staffed for such eventualities and that required medicines and resources have been forward deployed to facilitate a smooth service if the need arises.
“However, we believe that the matter won’t reach that level to action such plans,” he said, urging the public to do their bit.
The health authorities are planning to introduce broader screening procedures to detect the COVID-19 virus among the public in the near future, he said.
The curfew now in force in the districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutura, Puttalam, Kandy and Jaffna will continue until further notice, President’s Media Division said yesterday. In all other districts, curfew which was re-imposed at 2 p.m. last afternoon will continue till 6 a.m. on 1 April.
Traveling to and from all districts is completely prohibited except for the purpose of providing essential services. Those who misuse regulations introduced with the aim of ensuring smooth functioning of essential services will severely be dealt with according to the law, said DIG Ajith Rohana.
Since the sole purpose of these measures is to ensure the wellbeing of the people of this country in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Government requests the public to strictly follow the guidelines in a responsible manner.
A batch of 132 persons who completed 14 days in quarantine in accordance to the public health regulations were released yesterday, bringing the total number of persons to complete quarantine at specialist centres to 1,700.
The group who were interned at Diyathalawa and Punani quarantine centres run by the Air Force and Army were released after a medical check-up and provided with transport to their respective homes by the Army. Those released have been advised to follow another 14 days of quarantine at home, Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva added.
According to Silva, 1,954 persons including 18 foreign nationals remain in 48 quarantine centres countrywide. The Army plans to release over 320 persons who have completed quarantine tomorrow, if they pass the exist medical test.
The village Atalugama in the Kalutara district and the village Akurana in the Kandy district have been declared completely isolated areas. No one will be allowed to enter or leave from these two villages until further notice. Further, several families in the Nattandiya area have been ordered to follow strict at home quarantine due to close association with the first COVID-19 patient who passed away during the weekend.
The Police arrested 809 persons who violated curfew regulations and took into custody 166 vehicles used by them in a 24-hour period ending at 6 a.m. yesterday. According to the Police Media Unit, the figure brings the total arrested for curfew violations since 20 March to 6,850 and 1,643 vehicles have been detained in total.
The Government deployed members of the armed forces to assist the Police in enforcing curfew regulations last weekend due to a surge in offenders and those who misused curfew permits.
