Navy isolates group of personnel after colleague found COIVD-19 positive

Thursday, 23 April 2020 16:42 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Sri Lanka Navy has isolated a group of naval personnel who were in touch with a sailor who tested positive for COVID-19 in Polonnaruwa on Wednesday.

The Navy has isolated a group of naval personal who were in touch with their COVID-19 positive colleagues, in accordance with the public health guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and submitted samples for PCR testing, Navy Spokesman Lt. Cmdr Isuru Sooriyabandara told Daily FT.

The Navy denied reports that the sailor worked at a quarantine centre, saying that investigations are ongoing to find out how he was exposed to the virus.

The first ring of contacts of the sailor has been traced and contact tracing for the second and third rings are ongoing, he said, pointing out that the information was shared with health authorities and PHIs in the sailor’s area of residency.

The information has also been shared with the National Operations Centre for the Prevention of COVID-19 (NOCPC).

Twelve villages in the Lankapura Division in Polonnaruwa were declared as isolated areas yesterday by health officials as a precautionary measure after the COVID-19 positive sailor went home briefly.