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Friday May 10, 2024
Saturday, 19 December 2020 00:13 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Health authorities yesterday stated that random testing is being carried out on persons leaving the Western Province in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the festive season, adding that no decisions have yet been made to enforce movement restrictions in the country.
Addressing the media yesterday, Deputy Director-General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath stated that as several persons would be returning home this weekend, all persons in high-risk areas should limit movement as much as possible.
He explained that while the spread of COVID-19 has been controlled to some extent in the Colombo and Gampaha Districts, the spread of the disease to other parts of the island was mainly due to persons travelling from high-risk areas.
“If for some reason such persons must travel in this manner, they must follow safety guidelines, seek medical care without delay if they display COVID-like symptoms, and cooperate if there is a need for testing,” Dr. Herath said.
He explained that persons leaving the Western Province will be subjected to rapid antigen testing at random. While the antigen test cannot guarantee that an individual is COVID-19 negative, it enables health authorities to identify COVID-19-positive persons. Transport to treatment centres will be available at testing locations, Dr. Herath added.
In response to questions about partial or complete lockdown during the festive season, Dr. Herath said: “At this moment, I can say with authority that such a decision has not been made. However, this is a process that is constantly evolving.”
He added that forecasts cannot be made about the coming week and measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as it will depend on the number of patients detected, the spread of COVID-19 to various parts of the island, and public movement.
National Operations Centre for the Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) Head Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva, on a separate occasion, commented on random testing, saying: “Starting [yesterday], rapid antigen testing will be carried out at random, especially on those from the Western Province leaving for other areas via public and private long-distance buses and other methods.”
This, he said, will continue for the next few days for the safety of the public as well as to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to other areas.
Meanwhile, Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana stated that the public was expected to adhere to safety guidelines during the weekend, especially since Christmas and the new year are a few days away.
He added that 37 arrests were made in a 24-hour period over failure to wear face masks or maintain social distancing, with a total of 1,562 arrests made to date.
