“Everyone Should Cooperate with Us to Contain Further Spread of COVID-19 & its Prevention” - Head of NOCPCO

The routine Media interaction at the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) at Rajagiriya took place this afternoon (28), attended by Mrs Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Minister of Health, Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, Head of the (NOCPCO), Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army and Medical Specialist, Dr Anil Jasinghe, Director General of Health Services.

“The quarantine process, being implemented in island-wide Quarantine Centres (QCs) would continue with returnees in quarantine at these QCs, including foreigners and we have so far managed to release 1488 members from the QCs after proper quarantine. We facilitated 309 more returnees to go home today (28) after completion of quarantine process. Yet, our medical authorities wanted them to be in self-quarantine for two more weeks inside their own homes as a precaution. Arrangements are underway to release some more on Sunday (29) too after effective quarantine process,” so remarked Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, Head of the (NOCPCO), Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, talking to journalists.

“During today and yesterday (27), we have been actively assisting some 5180 plus stranded FTZ employees in Wathupitiwala, Katunayake and Biyagama areas to proceed home, providing our transport arrangements. Many of them opted to stay with their relatives.” Referring to detection of COVID-19 patients from Atalugama-Bandaragama areas, he said that Armed Forces/Policemen/ Health officials identified 26 individuals who had closely associated with the suspicious patient and the whole village had to be kept in for self-quarantine after sealing all entry/exit points to the village. Since only a few have been so far identified, health officials need to identify and detect the rest of his associates. That was the reason why the whole village had to be kept in quarantine,” Lieutenant General Silva said.

Urging the public to strictly adhere to health guidelines and instructions as disciplined people, Head of the NOCPCO claimed that some civilians still continue to misuse the relaxation of curfew hours and the Security Forces have therefore been forced to man a couple of roadblocks with Policemen to nab those violators of curfew. “After strict enforcement since yesterday (27), there is a gradual progress but we request everyone to understand the serious nature of this issue which is a pandemic. Similarly, we urge passengers who have arrived in Sri Lanka from India after 10 March 2020 to report to the nearest Police station as they run the risk of spreading COVID-19 epidemic further. This is for quarantining for the best interests of your family and all Sri Lankans,” he underlined.

At the request of the Health Ministry, Air Force personnel put up a new building at the IDH premises for COVID-19 patients and handed it over to Dr Anil Jasinghe on Saturday (28) and the public have to respect the common guidelines and health regulations in the country if we are to succeed in containing this epidemic, he concluded.

Mrs Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Minister of Health told the gathering that a programme to deliver monthly medicine quotas to specific patients through the nearest hospitals is now being launched in close cooperation with the Postal Department on a directive of the President.

Medical Specialist, Dr Anil Jasinghe, Director General of Health Services told the Media that the number of separate rooms for isolation rooms was increased to 30 after the Air Force completed a new building and handed it over to the Health Department today (28). As of today, the number of detected positive COVID-19 cases in our country stood at 110, Dr Jasinghe said.

Source: www.army.lk