To Contain Further Transmission, Tharapuram Village too Isolated from Today (9) - Head, NOCPCO

The routine Media interaction at the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) at Rajagiriya took place this afternoon (9), headed by Mrs Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Hon Minister of Health, Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, Head of the (NOCPCO), Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, Medical Specialist, Dr Anil Jasinghe, Director General of Health Services and Attorney-at Law Ajith Rohana, Deputy Inspector General of Police.

“A total of 37 quarantined individuals from the Army-managed Kandakadu Quarantine Centres (QC) after the quarantine process of about 28 days, left for their residences this morning (9) after receipt of Quarantine Certificates. The time period had to be lengthened in this instance after a positive COVID-19 victim was found inside a building where those 37 persons stayed earlier. The PCR test for COVID-19 against them was repeated twice to confirm that they were negative before they were facilitated to proceed home. With this, a total of 3459 quarantined individuals have so far left those QCs, manned by tri services. As of now, 1311 persons are still in quarantine in island-wide QCs,” so said Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva.

"Likewise, a total of 67 individuals, belonging to 23 families, suspected to have been in contact with two COVID-19 positive victims from Ratnapura town were taken to Kahagolla QC in Diyatalawa last evening (8) itself. In the same way, 16 relatives of two COVID-19 positive patients found from Akuressa area who recently arrived from India were referred last night (8) to the Punani QC. Both Akurana and Ataluwagama villages meanwhile continue to be isolated further, and investigations confirmed that another COVID-19 positive individual from Puttalam who had attended a funeral in Tharavikulam village in Mannar on 18th March had maintained close contact with a large number of people. Since it would be difficult to take more than 4600 individuals of over 900 families to QCs, the said Tharavikulam village in Mannar was accordingly sealed and isolated from today (9)" he added.

"In order to sustain mental balance and well-being of the people, confined to storied flats and add mental relaxation during curfew hours, tri services and the Police are staging entertaining musical sessions during day time in selected areas. Army beat groups held one such session at Moratuwa Soyza flats and a few more such shows were held by Navy, Air Force and Police music groups. Similarly, the Army beat group was scheduled to stage one such show near the Fair Mount flats at Rajagiriya this evening (9) at 6.30 p.m. Navy, Air Force and Police music groups are also set to hold such shows in three more separate places," Lieutenant General Silva told the Media.

Source: www.army.lk