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Thursday, 18 June 2020 00:25 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Shailendree
Wickrama Adittiya
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country has risen to 1,924, with the identification of nine new cases yesterday.
Of the total confirmed cases, 936 are Navy personnel and their close contacts and 659 are Sri Lankan returnees from abroad. No cases from the community have been identified since 30 April, and the Epidemiology Unit stated that six of Tuesday’s cases were Navy personnel and the remaining four were returnees from other countries.
According to the Epidemiology Unit’s distribution of cases, 899 are Navy personnel, 618 are overseas arrivals at quarantine centres, and 71 are from local communities at quarantine centres.
Currently, there are 516 COVID-19 patients receiving treatment at various hospitals, including 104 at the Hambantota District General Hospital, 92 at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), 86 at the Welikanda Base Hospital, 73 at the Teldeniya Base Hospital, and 69 at the Kattankudy Base Hospital.
Yesterday’s situation report by the Epidemiology Unit also states that 22 patients are at the Minuwangoda Base Hospital, 18 are at the Welisara Navy Hospital, 17 are at the Iranawila Hospital, 15 at the Homagama Base Hospital, four are at the Panagoda Army Hospital, and one is at the Colombo East Base Hospital.
In addition to this, 29 suspect patients are under investigation at various hospitals, including 10 at the Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital.
According to the Health Promotion Bureau, Sri Lanka has carried out 90,010 PCR tests so far, and this includes 1,276 conducted on Tuesday.
The number of COVID-19 recoveries in the country has risen to 1,397, with 26 recoveries yesterday. This includes nine from the NIID, eight from the Teldeniya Base Hospital, four from the Homagama Base Hospital, two from the Kattankudy Base Hospital, and one each from the Colombo East Base Hospital, Iranawila Hospital, and Hambantota District General Hospital.
Having completed the quarantine process, two persons left a Quarantine Centre in Wadduwa yesterday and a total of 14,391 persons have completed quarantine at a centre so far. The Defence Ministry added that 4,126 persons are still undergoing the quarantine process at various centres.
In addition to COVID-19 containment efforts, repatriation efforts are being carried out and Military spokesman Brig. Chandana Wickremasinghe stated that 360 persons were brought back to the country yesterday. This includes 53 persons from Chennai, 16 from Mumbai, and 291 from Dubai.
The Sri Lanka Navy also issued a statement on the efforts taken to hinder efforts of asylum seekers from COVID-19 affected countries from entering the country illegally. Sri Lanka Navy spokesman Lt. Com. Isuru Sooriyabandara stated that the Navy has launched multiple operations in this regard. This is due to the fact that attempts to enter the country illegally may increase when legal channels are closed.
The special operations launched by the Sri Lanka Navy include naval boats and ships stationed in marine regions in the local coast as well as international waters.
“The Sri Lanka Navy has launched these operations to thwart not only illegal immigration, but also drug trafficking, human trafficking, and all such threats in marine regions,” Sooriyabandara said. He added that the Sri Lanka Navy was carrying out these operations with the support of the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Air Force, Sri Lanka Coast Guard, and Sri Lanka Police.
He explained that there is a high density of fishing clusters in the seas off the north and north western parts of the country. “Using these fishermen as a cover, various illegal activities take place and the Sri Lanka Navy has launched several special operations to strengthen the security in these areas,” Sooriyabandara added.
He stressed, however, that these operations did not target any country in particular and that such illegal activities can be carried out by persons of any nationality.
