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A woman being tested for COVID-19 at Town Hall - Pic by Shehan Gunasekera
By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya
The dual COVID-19 cluster that emerged from Divulapitiya and Peliyagoda yesterday expanded to 12,695 cases with 468 associated of the Peliyagoda COVID-19 cluster testing positive for the virus yesterday.
According to the Epidemiology Unit, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is 16,191, which also includes 1,481 Sri Lankan returnees from abroad, 950 Navy personnel and their contacts, 651 persons connected to the Kandakadu cluster, and 102 foreigners.
At present, there are 5,107 persons receiving treatment for COVID-19, including 465 at the Punani Treatment Centre, 390 at the Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital, 258 at the Bingiriya Treatment Centre, and 246 at the Kalutara Police Training School.
Hospitals are also monitoring 501 persons suspected of having COVID-19.
Meanwhile, hospitals yesterday discharged 378 persons, bringing the total number of recoveries in the island to 11,031. Yesterday’s recoveries include 99 from the Bingiriya Treatment Centre, 45 from the Wathupitiwela Treatment Centre, and 35 from the Kahawatte Treatment Centre.
According to the Health Promotion Bureau, 636,586 PCR tests have been carried out to date, including 9,575 tests on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana yesterday said regulations on wearing a face mask and maintaining social distancing applied to all parts of the island and that 180 persons have been arrested to date for failing to adhere to these safety guidelines.
He added that, during the special air operation carried out on Wednesday and Thursday, 22 suspects were arrested, including seven arrests yesterday.
“We are going to conduct the air operation continuously using helicopters and drone cameras in order to conduct surveillance upon the residents of isolated or lockdown areas,” he added.
With regard to quarantine measures, the National Operations Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) yesterday stated that 30,000 first and second contacts of infected persons are currently undergoing self-quarantine. The NOCPCO added that 2,845 persons, including 16 persons who arrived from Japan yesterday, are undergoing quarantine at 30 centres.
NOCPCO Head Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva yesterday stated that a decision on areas currently under lockdown will be taken today after relevant authorities evaluate the situation.
“We do not plan to enforce curfew or increase the number of isolated areas. At present, leaving the Western Province is prohibited until 12 midnight on Sunday to prevent COVID-19 from spreading to other areas and the restrictions will be relaxed at the specified time,” he said.
However, Silva went on to say that decisions are made on the current situation and, despite having no plans at present to extend travel restrictions, decisions will be made depending on changes that occur during the next 24 hours.
Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva also addressed statements made by Colombo Municipal Council Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni and Colombo Mayor Rosy Senanayake of the possibility of 30,000 undetected COVID-19 cases in the Colombo Municipal Council area.
According to the NOCPCO Head, the number is an estimate but PCR testing on Wednesday mainly targeted these areas, as population density, lifestyle and public behaviour in the Colombo Municipal Council areas were contributing factors to the high number of COVID-19 patients identified in the area.
The total number of patients identified on Wednesday was 373, of which 20 were police officers and four were overseas arrivals. Close to 600 police officers have tested positive for COVID-19 to date, DIG Ajith Rohana said, adding that all patients were identified from quarantine centres.
Of the remaining cases from Wednesday, 271 were identified from the Colombo District, 46 from the Gampaha District, 12 from the Kalutara District, and 10 the from Kegalle District.
Looking at the cases identified from the Colombo District, 79 were identified from Kotahena, 49 from Dematagoda, 24 from Maradana, 21 from Mattakuliya, and 19 from Maligawatte.
According to Silva, 230 of the 270 cases identified from the Colombo District were detected in the Colombo Municipal Council area, while the Gampaha District cases were identified from the south and west, where several areas are isolated.
Meanwhile, the district distribution of cases identified between 1 November and 13 November shows 2,120 cases from Colombo, 1,311 cases from Gampaha, 236 cases from Kalutara, and 104 cases from Kegalle. In addition to this, 78 cases were identified from Ratnapura, 66 from Kurunegala, and 61 from Kandy.
The NOCPCO Head went on to say that the Divulapitiya COVID-19 cluster, which consists of 3,106 cases, is now under control, while the Peliyagoda cluster, with over 9,000 cases, is thrice the size of the Divulapitiya cluster. However, Silva added that the situation in the country has been managed well because of decisions taken regarding high risk areas.
He went on to say, “We have not failed.”
