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Wednesday, 18 March 2020 01:16 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya
The Public Health Inspectors’ Union of Sri Lanka (PHIUSL) yesterday called for updated legislation on quarantine measures and disease prevention as well as the establishment of a single organisation to notify the public on measures taken to halt the spread of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka.
PHIUSL Chairman Upul Rohana told journalists that while there had been a lot of discussion on the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance, the legislation was from 1897.
“For 123 years, we were unable to pass laws to control a pandemic of this nature,” he said, adding that the Health and Indigenous Medical Services Minister should use the power granted to her under Section 2 of the Ordinance.
The section states: “The Minister may, from time to time, make and, when made, revoke or vary such regulations as may seem necessary or expedient for the purpose of preventing the introduction into Sri Lanka of any disease, and also preventing the spread of any disease in and outside Sri Lanka.”
While calling on the Minister to pass the laws necessary to control the situation, Rohana also urged that a uniform system be implemented, especially when a patient is taken into custody for not reporting their illness to the authorities.
He questioned where the patient would be taken and in what as well as whether law enforcement officers were equipped and trained to handle a COVID-19 case.
He added that location was key when establishing quarantine centres and that they should ideally be located close to the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA).
Local Government, State and private institutions have also been requested to set up hand-washing stations at public places like bus stands, and to provide an alcoholic scrub if faucets were impractical.
Rohana also called for a single organisation to notify the public of any measures and decisions taken regarding the situation, as decisions made without consulting all relevant bodies could interfere with measures that were already in place.
He stated that the notice issued to the public by the Ministry of Defence on Monday, which asked all those who had arrived from Europe, Iran and South Korean between 1 and 15 March to register at the nearest Police station contradicted Health Ministry instructions to self-quarantine.
“This morning, the high-risk individuals we were monitoring at their homes have gone to the Police. The Police asked us what to do but we had to tell them that it was not us who asked individuals to visit the Police station,” Rohana said.
He went on to say that this lack of coordination, which was later addressed in a statement issued by the Police Media Department last morning notifying the public that they need not visit a Police station for registration, interrupted the monitoring being conducted by PHIs.
In order to avoid such situations in the future, the PHIUSL requested that a single unit be established to notify the public.
He also addressed concern regarding the forthcoming General Elections and the risk it would pose given the spread of COVID-19 and said it was the Election Commission of Sri Lanka that must make a decision on the matter.
“If the election must be held, then how will it be held without risk?” Rohana asked, explaining that unnecessary public gatherings could definitely be a contributory factor to the spread of the virus in Sri Lanka.
“At this point, politicians should understand that this isn’t about gaining or losing power. This is a high-risk situation and we are in the primary stages of this pandemic,” he said, adding that given political intervention in such matters, not even law enforcement would have control of political rallies held before elections.
He went on to say that the situation in Sri Lanka had the potential to escalate to similar levels as those witnessed in China and Italy.
“The health sector is working towards controlling the situation but the public should follow the instructions given to them,” Rohana stated.
He added that members of the public had a responsibility to report for testing and treatment if they showed symptoms of COVID-19 and assist with quarantine measures.
At present, there are 2,572 self-quarantined people who returned from high-alert countries before 5 March being monitored by PHIs and their 14-day quarantine period will end tomorrow. In addition to this, 3,460 individuals who returned from high-risk countries between 5 and 10 March are also being monitored.
One of the biggest issues faced by PHIs in monitoring these individuals is that most do not follow instructions to stay at home and also give false or inaccurate information to PHIs.
“There is also an issue in the exchange of information between BIA officers and health officers. This isn’t a problem with the officers themselves but the lack of a system established by the State,” Rohana stated.
One other problem faced by PHIs with their monitoring activities was a lack of facemasks and protective gear.
A total of 62 cases have also been filed regarding the sale of food, especially over the sale of goods that have expired or are not fit for consumption during periods of panic buying. Steps have also been taken to close down stores in some parts of the country, he said.
While outlining the various challenges faced by PHIs as well as calling on the Government to take certain measures, the PHIUSL also said it would continue to do its utmost to control the spread of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka.
