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Friday, 23 October 2020 00:25 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya
Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 death toll rose to 14 yesterday, when a 50-year-old woman from Kuliyapitiya passed away while receiving treatment at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID).
According to the Department of Government Information, the individual was transferred to the NIID on 17 October from the Kuliyapitiya Hospital and died from complications that arose from the various chronic conditions she suffered from.
The Government imposed curfew in six Police jurisdictions in the Colombo District yesterday, following the identification of 309 patients from the Peliyagoda Fish Market over the course of two days.
Curfew was enforced immediately in the Mattakkuliya, Mutwal, Bloemendhal, Grandpass, and Wellampitiya Police jurisdictions yesterday morning and from 6 p.m. onwards in the Kotahena Police jurisdiction. All areas will be under quarantine curfew until further notice.
The Kuliyapitiya, Pannala, Giriulla, Narammala, and Dummalasuriya Police jurisdictions are also under lockdown until further notice, while all 33 Police jurisdictions of the Gampaha District will be under curfew until 5 a.m. on Monday.
As such, curfew has been imposed in 44 Police jurisdictions in the country, while the Bellana Grama Niladhari Division in the Palinda Nuwara Divisional Secretariat and the Agalawatta, Gorakgoda, Beragama, Dapiligoda, and North Kekulanda Grama Niladhari Divisions in the Agalawatta Divisional Secretariat were declared isolated towns on Wednesday.
The measures were taken in order to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country and the Sri Lanka Police yesterday said that this is why regulations restricting movement must be strictly adhered to.
While stating that the Police has observed that several people in curfew-imposed areas do not adhere to regulations, Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana said curfew violators and their vehicles will be taken into Police custody. He added that 596 persons and 76 vehicles have been taken into police custody since curfew was first imposed.
According to National Operation Centre for the Prevention of the COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) Head Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva, movement was being restricted in order to prevent the development of new clusters. He explained that certain areas in the Kalutara District were isolated because several contacts of the COVID-19-positive owner, driver, and conductor of a bus from Matugama resided in the Agalawatte and Palinda Nuwara Divisional Secretariats.
Investigations into the contacts of these persons led to the identification of 26 more patients, which included other bus drivers and conductors as well as their contacts.
Silva added several of the 49 COVID-19 patients identified from the Peliyagoda Fish Market on Wednesday were from areas in the Gampaha District where curfew had not yet been enforced, which led to the decision to put the entire district under lockdown.
“Having considered patients identified from the Peliyagoda Fish Market and their contacts and studying the situation, quarantine curfew was enforced in the Mutwal, Mattakkuliya, Grandpass, Bloemendhal, and Wellampitiya Police Jurisdictions in the Colombo District,” he added.
The Kotahena Police Jurisdiction was also identified as a high-risk area where several patients and contacts were location.
188 persons connected to the Peliyagoda Fish Market tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday and over 800 persons from the fish market have been directed to quarantine centres and an additional 800 persons have been directed for self-quarantine.
Silva explained that quarantine measures were taken to contain the spread of the virus, adding: “Some people would have faced difficulties during this procedure and we do not deny this, but this is done for the safety of the public.”
“If you have in any way in the past seven days visited the Peliyagoda Fish Market and have not been directed for quarantine yet, we kindly request you to self-quarantine or inform the nearest PHI and get tested for COVID-19,” Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva went on to say.
He added that over 100,000 PCR tests have been carried out over the past 14 days by the Health Ministry. Yesterday’s tests identified a total of 309 patients, of which 22 are staff members of two factories in Katunayake, 188 from the Peliyagoda fish market and 97 contacts, and two employees or associates of the Minuwangoda garment manufacturing facility who were at quarantine centres. The Divulapitiya cluster has now increased to 2,817 cases.
This brings the total number of confirmed cases identified in the island to 6,287, of which 1,456 are Sri Lankan returnees from abroad, 950 are Navy contacts and their contacts, 651 belong to the Kandakadu cluster, and 101 are foreigners.
The Epidemiology Unit states that 2,712 persons are currently receiving treatment at various hospitals, including 498 at the Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital, 228 are at the Kamburugamuwa Hospital, 155 are at the Kattankudy Hospital, and 152 are at the NIID.
Hospitals are also monitoring 341 persons suspected of having COVID-19.
The number of COVID-19 recoveries rose to 3,561 with the recovery of 60 persons yesterday. According to the Epidemiology Unit, 32 persons from the NIID, 13 persons from the Welikanda Base Hospital, nine persons from the Rambukkana District Hospital, four persons from the Teldeniya Hospital, and two persons from the Hambantota District General Hospital were discharged yesterday.
In addition to this, the NOCPCO stated that 165 persons left quarantine centres yesterday, which brings the total number to leave centres to date to 56,112. The NOCPCO added that 29 persons who arrived from Qatar yesterday were directed to quarantine centres.
A total of 7,754 persons are currently undergoing quarantine at 69 centres managed by the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy, and Sri Lanka Air Force.
