Coronavirus Updates

Sri Lanka new COVID-19 wave rises to 5,731 cases; majority in Gampaha, Colombo

ECONOMYNEXT – The new wave of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka increased to 5,731 cases this afternoon, with a majority of cases reported from the Gampaha and Colombo districts, a report issued by the National Operation Centre for the Prevention of COVID-19 showed.

The NOCPOC report showed out of the 5,731 confirmed patients, 2,908 were identified from the Gampaha districts, while 1,584 were from the Colombo district.

The remaining cases break down as follows: 114 from Kurunegala, 189 from Kalutara, 52 from Galle, 23 from Kandy, 38 from Kegalle, 29 from Puttalam, 15 from Ampara, 28 from Batticaloa, 26 from NuwaraEliya, 18 from Rathnapura, 13 from Vavuniya and 10 from Matale, nine from Mannar, eight from Trincomalee, nine from Matara, eight from Badulla, three each from Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Hambanthota and Monaragala, four from Jaffna, and 634 from quarantine centres.

Sri Lanka’s new COVID-19 wave first emerged around an apparel factory in Minuwangoda, and a subsequent cluster around a fish market in Peliyagoda, where large numbers of traders, buyers from restaurants and individual customers gather daily, led to a wide and rapid spread of the disease.

Several sub-clusters have developed from the fish-market in Kuliyapitiya, Moratuwa, Galle, Beruwala and Hatton around fishery harbors and fish markets.

NOCPOC reports showed that after the first positive case of the Minuwangoda cluster was discovered by health authorities on October 03, within the first week the cluster increased to 1,186 and by October 28 to 5,398, with 1,041 employees and 4,690 close contacts being identified as positive cases.
Reports showed that the Peliyagoda cluster has increased to 1,007.

Meanwhile authorities have decided to impose quarantine curfew in the Western Province from midnight today (October 29) until 5 am Monday (November 02) in an effort to contain COVID-19 spreading.

Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 task force chief Army Commander Lt Gen Shavenda Silva has asked residents of Colombo in particular not to move out of the district.

Authorities have imposed quarantine curfew in 71 police areas and 19 divisional secretaries in eight districts in the country by October 29.

Authorities decided to reopen police areas in Kalutara except Badugama village in the Mathugama Divisional secretary today for the residents to buy supplies and medications before imposing curfew in the entire Western Province from midnight.

Sri Lanka stopped institutional quarantine of first contacts of confirmed novel coroanvirus patients and requested them to home quarantine from October 27.

NOCPOC issuing a statement said monitoring of first contacts of the positive patients will be conducted by health and security officials throughout the quarantine period.

Accordingly, monitoring will be conducted by the Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) of the respective areas from 0600 hours to 1100 hours and from 1100 hours to 1600 hours by the Sri Lanka Police officers and from 1600 hours by the Tri forces officers in the areas.

NOCPOC statement said violating of the self-quarantine law is punishable under the quarantine law and the Ministry of Health has the authority to send residents of a self-quarantined home to a military-run quarantine centre following a temporary sealing of the residence by police. (Colombo/Oct29/2020)

As of now...

Coronavirus Cases:
45,319,630

Deaths:
1,186,214

Recovered:
32,991,627

545,903 new cases world wide higher than previous day and recording the highest count for a day so far!

7,172 more deaths higher than previous 24 hours !

USA (91,530), India (49.281) & France (47,637) are the three countries with highest number of new cases that drives the new cases.

USA (1,047), India (568) & Brazil (565) were the countries with highest new deaths for last 24 hours.

As of now...

Coronavirus Cases:
46,049,609

Deaths:
1,195,867

Recovered:
33,320,940

573,616 new cases world wide higher than previous day and recording the highest count for a day so far! Now the highest counts per day have been consecutively upgrading during the last 3 days!!!

7,510 more deaths higher than previous 24 hours !

USA (101,461), France (49,215) & India (48,120) are the three countries with highest number of new cases that drives the new cases. USA recorded 100,000+ daily cases for the first time !!!

USA (988), India (550) & France (545) were the countries with highest new deaths for last 24 hours.

Sri Lanka active Coronavirus total rises towards 6,000 as Covid-19 transmission concerns rise

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka has confirmed 633 Coronavirus patients on October 30, official data showed, with active cases reaching towards 6,000 amid rising concerns and authorities dropped institutionalized quarantine and fast-tracked discharges as buildings were converted to treatment centres.

Of the total, 264 were confirmed from Gampaha, with 48 from Pitipana and 162 from Colombo with 29 from Nawagamuwa and 75 from Colombo 1 to 18 Sri Lanka’s anti-Coronavirus task force said.

“There are several hundred patients being reported each day,” Chief Epidemiologist Sudath Samaraweera told reporters.

“It is also spreading fast. It is now in practically all districts.”

He urged people to limit movements.

Sri Lanka has avoided a nation-wide lockdown and has tried targeted curfews. This week Sri Lanka also dropped institutionalized quarantine.

Deputy Director of Health Hemanthe Herath said operating procedures were being revised to speed up discharges.



Sri Lanka had 5,760 in institutionalized quarantine, down from around 8,500 a week earlier. Another 508 would be discharged on October 31, the anti-Covid task force said.

Under Pressure

With resources being increasingly strained local television is carrying reports of persons on whom PCR tests being done sent home and confirmed patients waiting for admission.

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Sri Lanka has 43 hospitals with 7 second tier treatment facilities for largely asymptomatic patients, and another one will come on Herath told reporters on October 30.

There were 5,413 patients in hospitals by October 30, he said. In the 24 hours ending October 31, 633 were confirmed at the anti-Covid task force said 140 were discharged.

Another 444 suspected cases were hospitalized.

After ending institutionalized quarantine, Sri Lanka is converting former quarantine facilities to treatment centres.

Sri Lanka’s Health Promotion Bureau said 11,560 tests were carried out on October 30, the highest daily total so far, up from 11,080 a day earlier and 8,680 a week earlier.



“We are conducting more tests daily despite one of the PCR machines at the IDH being out of order,” Herath told reporters.

“We expect to repair it over the weekend.”

The Chinese embassy in Colombo said technicians had arrived in Colombo to repair the machine and also carry out maintenance on other machines.

Contact Tracing Delayed

The Colombo Municipality is carrying out large numbers of tests, and is finding more patients. On October 29, 37 patients were confirmed in Kotahena, 32 in Mattakkuliya and 20 in Dematagoda.

But there are warnings that testing is limited in other areas.

“In Kurunegala in Wayamba there were only 50 swabs given to carry out PCR tests in the community,” Haritha Aluthge from the Government Medical Officer’s Association told reporters.

The GMOA says there is a backlog of 20,000 swabs to be tested and generally there is a 2.5 percent rate of confirmation.



“In some cases results have been delayed by a week,” Aluthge said. “This is an unfortunate situation. In some area no swabs have been given for community testing.”

Researchers in Vietnam, one of the most successful countries in controlling Covid say there is in general 6-day window for tracers to isolate contacts before it spreads to the next level.

Coronavirus has an incubation period of between 2 to 14 days.

From level to level the spread is exponential. A lockdown and home quarantine, slows the spread, whle countries that completely kill outbreaks use institutionalized quarantine of F1 contacts, with quick testing to work within the 6-day window.

Over the week Sri Lanka also dropped institutionalized quarantine and resorted to home quarantine as numbers grew.

Under home quarantine, contacts who are going through the incubation period tends to infects other family members, parents and grandparents as they develop the disease at home, increasing the number of positive cases, not counting leaks, observers familiar with East Asia say.

Korea which has home quarantine has a steady trickle of deaths (464 deaths up to October 30) compared to 35 for Vietnam which has institutionalized quarantine.



Aluthge said based on information reaching the GMOA, results of about 3,000 tests are awaited in Matara and in some areas 5 to 6 days delays are being seen.

Movement Control

Sri Lanka has now locked down the entire Gampaha district, after initially putting curfews in areas close to Minuwangoda.

At the time authorities insisted that all contacts including those who were turning up in hospital independently without being traced had some link to the Minuwangoda cluster.

The fish market cluster was then discovered around October 20, and large numbers of persons were found in North Colombo. Officials then said cross infections may have taken place.

Sri Lanka has now also locked down parts of the capital Colombo which are densely populated.

So far only the Killinochchi district has had no infections.

However Aluthge said with weak testing of the community, there could be more infections in the country than is seen.

On Saturday reports said a woman patient had turned up positive in a hospital in the South from Galle.

Since symptomatic patients are only a small proportion of the total, such patients points to the existence of another sub-cluster, observers say..

But in many districts the disease is spreading though public health officials are actively chasing contacts.

In Karandeniya area more patients linked to a fish vendor were found.

Public Health Inspector Rohana Thennakoon asked anyone who had bought fish from the vendors in the past few days to report to them.



“There is a high risk of anyone who had bought fish from catching the disease,” he said.

Spreading from Multiple Clusters

In some provinces patients from multiple sub-clusters in Colombo were being found.

On October 30, reports said 08 contacts were found in Eheliyagoda with public health officials saying four were linked to the Pelliyagoda to the fish market and four Colombo Dockyard clusters.

Deputy Inspector General Ajith Rohana said so far about 60 police officers had got infected and 300 are under quarantine.

The first infected persons had first got the disease from purchasing fish for police canteens, he said.

Meanwhile officials said in Colombo’s lower income flats, the disease was spreading despite the curfews.

Sri Lanka records 20th COVID-19 death; 633 new patients

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka recorded its 20th COVID-19 death a short while ago, a 54-year-old female that was undergoing treatment in the Colombo National Hospital, the country’s COVID-19 task force confirmed.

The National Operation Centre for prevention of COVID-19 (NOCPOC) said the patient was admitted to the national hospital on October 29. A resident of Colombo 12, the patient had been suffering from several chronic illnesses and, according to NOCPOC, passed away during the early hours of today.

Meanwhile, 633 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus patients yesterday (October 30), with active cases reaching towards 6,000 amid rising concerns, NOCPOC data showed. Earlier this week, authorities dropped institutionalised quarantine and fast-tracked discharges as buildings were converted to treatment centres.

Of yesterday’s total, 264 were confirmed from Gampaha, with 48 from Pitipana and 162 from Colombo with 29 from Nawagamuwa and 75 from Colombo 1 to 18, NOCPOC said.

“There are several hundred patients being reported each day,” Chief Epidemiologist Dr Sudath Samaraweera told reporters.

“It is also spreading fast. It is now in practically all districts,” he added.

He urged people to limit movements.

Sri Lanka has avoided a nation-wide lockdown and has tried targeted curfews.

Deputy Director of Health Dr Hemantha Herath said operating procedures were being revised to speed up discharges.

Sri Lanka had 5,760 in institutionalised quarantine, down from around 8,500 a week earlier. Another 508 will be discharged today (October 31), the task force said. (Colombo/Oct30/2020)

As of now...

Coronavirus Cases:
46,515,053

Deaths:
1,202,128

Recovered:
33,569,922

475,384 new cases world wide lower than previous 24 hours.

6,504 more deaths lower than previous 24 hours.

USA (86,293), India (46,715) & France (35,641) are the three countries with highest number of new cases that drives the new cases.

USA (914), Mexico (516) & India (468) were the countries with highest new deaths for last 24 hours.

239 new COVID-19 patients in Sri Lanka; total cases rise to 10,663

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lankan health officials identified 239 new COVID-19 patients over a 24-hour period that ended at 6am today (01), the National Operations Centre for the Prevention of COVID-19 (NOCPOC) said.

All 239 patients belonged to the Minuwangoda and Peliyagoda clusters.

The geographic breakdown of the new cases are as follows: 86 from Colombo, 21 from Gampaha, 20 from Kalutara, four from Galle, 28 each from Rathnapura, 10 from Kegalle, 11 from Vavuniya and 59 from quarantine centres.

With the new cases, total confirmed COVID-19 patients in the island has risen to 10,663. Some 399 individuals are currently under investigation in hospitals, with 6,244 active cases.

NOCPOC said a doctor attached to a children’s ward at the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital is among the new patients.

Reports said the doctor has been transferred to the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) while his close contacts have been directed to self quarantine.

As at 6am today, 117 Sri Lankan patients returned home upon recovery, bringing total recoveries in Sri Lanka to 4,399. Out of the recovered patients, two are returnees from abroad and the remaining 115 are from the Minuwangoda cluster.

The number of patients reported from the Minuwangoda cluster has increased to 7,185 with the new positive cases identified. NOCPOC said 980 patients from the cluster have recovered by November 01.

NOCPOC reports showed that after the first positive case of the Minuwangoda cluster was discovered by health authorities on October 03, within the first week the cluster increased to 1,186 and by November 01 to 7,185, with 1,041 employees and 6,144 close contacts being identified as positive cases.
Meanwhile, the number of people in quarantine in 60 centres run by the armed forces is 4,990.

Up to 718 people ended their quarantine at military-run centres yesterday, according to NOCPOC. A total of 60,890 people have completed quarantine so far.

A total of 512,735 PCR tests have been conducted in the island so far, with 10,510 tests carried out yesterday. NOCPOC reports said, adding that the results of some PCR tests are still pending.

By this morning, 19 returnees arrived in Colombo, all of whom flew in from Doha, Qatar, NOCPOC said, adding that all returnees will be directed to military-run quarantine centres.

Sri Lanka’s novel coronavirus related deaths rose to 20 yesterday, with a 54-year-old female who was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital passing away on October 30, the state information office quoted the island’s health chief as saying.

Hospitals in Minuwangoda, Welikanda, Iranawila, Rambukkana, Kamburugamuwa, Kattankudi, Hambanthota, Theldeniya, Mulleriyawa, as well as the IDH and the Neville Fernando Hospital and the Homagama, Ambalpola and Laggala, Pallegama hospitals have been taken over by the health services department to treat COVID-19 patients.

Meanwhile, the entire Western Province is under quarantine curfew until 5am tomorrow (November 02) in an effort to contain further spread.

Sri Lanka’s current outbreak is caused by a strain of SARS-CoV-2 found in Denmark and Sweden, researchers who have sequenced its gene have found.

A team from Sri Lanka’s Sri Jayewardenepura University that also examined viruses from earlier clusters collaborating with their counterparts in the U, have said the current strain is a one that has not been previously found in Sri Lanka, after sequencing 16 samples.

“This virus belongs to the B.1.42 lineage which is found in countries like Denmark and Sweden,” Chandima Jeewandara, a senior lecturer at Sri Lanka’s Sri Jayewardenepura University who is a member of research team told Sri Lanka’s Swarnavahini Television.



“It also has a mutation called D614G, which makes it highly transmissible.”



Sri Lanka completed 12,000 coronavirus tests, the highest daily tests so far, as an expert from China was fixing another machine which will boost output further.

Sri Lanka is building more treatment centres using former quarantine facilities run by the military.

In Kegalle district where there has been a wide spread of the virus, about 1,000 new beds are being added, officials said.

Meanwhile, authorities have requested citizens to minimise travel and gathering to contain the spread.

Sri Lanka has speeded up discharge from hospital by relaxing previous protocol.

Ananda Wijewickreme from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases said under the new protocol Sri Lanka would no longer wait for two PCR tests to be negative before discharging since new discoveries have proved the virus will not be transmitted to another person after the first 10 days of infection. (Colombo/Nov 31/2020)

Sri Lanka current Covid-19 outbreak from Denmark-Sweden SARS-Cov-2 strain

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s current Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak is caused by a strain of SARS-CoV-2 found in Denmark and Sweden, researchers who have sequenced its gene have found.

A team from Sri Lanka’s Sri Jayewardenepura University that also examined viruses from earlier clusters collaborating with their counterparts in UK, have said the current strain is a one that has not been previously found in Sri Lanka, after sequencing 16 samples.

“This virus belongs to the B.1.42 lineage which is found in countries like Denmark and Sweden,” Chandima Jeewandara, a senior lecturer at Sri Lanka’s Sri Jayewardenepura University who is a member of research team told Sri Lanka’s Swarnavahini Television.

“It also has a mutation called D614G, which makes it highly transmissible.”

Related links: More on lineages here

The mutation was present in 15 of the 16 samples, he said.

Doctors have said the patients had higher viral loads when tested than in earlier outbreaks and it was spreading faster.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, is believed to have jumped from human to animal is late 2019, and caused an outbreak in Wuhan China. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 1, is the agent that caused the SARS outbreak around 2003.

Researchers have said that on average SARS-CoV-2 causes 5.7 infections in populations with no immunity and no mitigation attempts.

It is not clear how many the B.1.42 causes.

Sri Lanka found one Chinese national early in 2020 during the Wuhan Wave and many small clusters from index cases that came from several European countries, India and Indonesia in the second Wave in March and April.

All samples of SARS-Cov-2 probed were similar, he said.

Jeewandara said there appeared to be only one strain causing the outbreak, and it had not been found in Sri Lanka before.

The findings came as Sri Lanka’s state health system relaxed discharge criteria for recovered patients for a single negative test result from two earlier.

PCR tests have a 70 percent success rate, officials have said.

Sri Lanka has also ended institutionalized quarantine and is home quarantining person including in areas which are not locked down, as patient and contact numbers rose towards 6,000 and former quarantine facilities were converted to treatment centres.

There have been 7 confirmed deaths attributed to the current outbreak, taking total deaths to 20.

One person also died while waiting for a PCR at a hospital, who was said to have been asthmatic and another died while on the way to a quarantine centres. (Colombo/Oct31/2020)

As of now...

Coronavirus Cases:
46,823,070

Deaths:
1,205,321

Recovered:
33,754,837

436,707 new cases world wide lower than previous 24 hours.

5,300 more deaths lower than previous 24 hours.

USA (71,321), India (46,441) & France (46,290) are the three countries with highest number of new cases that drives the new cases.

India (493), Mexico (464) & Iran (434) were the countries with highest new deaths for last 24 hours.

Coronavirus Cases:
47,326,713

Deaths:
1,211,421

Recovered:
34,035,877

472,997 new cases world wide higher than previous 24 hours.

5,712 more deaths higher than previous 24 hours.

USA (88,905), France (52,518) & India (37,592) are the three countries with highest number of new cases that drives the new cases.

USA (522), India (497) & Argentina (483) were the countries with highest new deaths for last 24 hours.

Sri Lanka finds 275 new Coronavirus cases, Kegalle areas isolated after curfew appeal

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka has found 275 new Coronavirus cases on November 03 taking the total active cases to 11,335 and the latest cluster to 7,857, official data showed.

There were 6,065 active cases in hospital.

Sri Lanka has relaxed discharge criteria and are releasing patients without a final PCR test as needs for community and contact testing went up.

Data from the Health Promotion Bureau showed that around 11,700 tests had been done.

Sri Lanka’s anti-Coronavirus talks force said Hemmathagama, Mawanela, Bulathkohupitya police areas and Gligamuwa Pradeshiya sabha areas in Kegalle had been isolated.

Giriulla police area in Kurunegala was also declared as an isolated area.

Earlier in the day, authorities in Kegalle district begged for curfews as infected numbers went up.

When numbers go up, and public health officers find it difficult to cope a lockdown allows them to catch up.

Local authorities in the Kegalle district which are seeing spikes in Coronavirus cases are appealing for curfew, border restrictions and hotels have been closed as Covid-19 case reports said Monday.

Kegalle district had seen 104 Coronavirus cases, with 26 in Mawanells, 14 in Bulathkohupitiya, 15 in Keglla and 12 in Dehiowita, District Secretary Mahinda Weerasooriya said.

“We have received requests from local authorities to impose curfew,” Weerasooriya told Sri Lanka’s Derana Television.

“We have requested the National Committee and the Governor (of the province) and we are awaiting a reply.

He said there were requests to restrict border movements.

At district levels all hotels and lodging places have been asked to close and weekly markets in the district will also not be held, he said. (Colombo/Nov03/2020)

As of now...

Coronavirus Cases:
47,844,347

Deaths:
1,220,210

Recovered:
34,351,846

484,114 new cases world wide higher than previous 24 hours.

8,197 more deaths higher than previous 24 hours and surpass 8,000 mark for the first time after 17th April this year !

USA (94,463), India (46,033) & France (36,330) are the three countries with highest number of new cases that drives the new cases.

USA (1,199), France (854) & India (511) were the countries with highest new deaths for last 24 hours.

Sri Lanka records 23rd COVID-19 death; 10th death in three weeks

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka recorded its 23rd COVID-19 death today (03), a 61-year-old female that passed away yesterday (02) in her residence, the National Operation Centre for the Prevention of COVID-19 (NOCPOC) said.

The deceased tested positive in a PCR test that was carried out post mortem.

NOCPOC said the deceased was suffering from fever, cough and throat infections prior to her death.

The Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health cited lung infections due to novel coronavirus as the reason for the death.

This is the second COVID-19 death in Sri Lanka today bringing the total within last three weeks to 10 deaths, health ministry data showed.

Sri Lankan health officials identified 409 new COVID-19 patients today (03), NOCPOC said in a separate statement.

NOCPOC said 56 Special Task Force (STF) officers are included in the new patients identified today.

With that, a total of 183 police officers have tested positive for the virus so far, and STF camps in Kalubowila, Kalaniya and Rajagiriya have been isolated with immediate effect until further notice.

NOCPOC said under a new government decision, close contacts of 63,663 houses are under self quarantine.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education in Isurupaya was closed for disinfection today after identifying a staff member as positive for COVD-19 today.

With the new cases, Sri Lanka’s total patient count has increased to 11,605, with 6,003 active cases and 430 under investigation in hospitals. (Colombo/Nov03/2020)

As of now...

Coronavirus Cases:
48,437,596

Deaths:
1,230,991

Recovered:
34,673,348

571,314 new cases world wide significantly higher than previous 24 hours and just below the highest count per day recorded so far!

9,067 more deaths higher than previous 24 hours surpassing 9,000 deaths per day mark for the first time in the history !

USA (108,389), India (50,465) & France (40,558) are the three countries with highest number of new cases that drives the new cases. USA records their highest count recorded per day so far.

USA (1,201), India (704) & Brazil (622) were the countries with highest new deaths for last 24 hours.

443 new COVID-19 patients in Sri Lanka; total cases rise to 12,187

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lankan health officials identified 443 new COVID-19 patients over a 24-hour period that ended at 6am today (05), the National Operations Centre for the Prevention of COVID-19 (NOCPOC) said.

All 443 cases belong to the Minuwangoda and Peliyagoda clusters.

The new cases break down as follows: 170 from the Colombo Municipal Council area, 42 from Colombo district, 62 from Gampaha, 20 from Kalutara, nine from Ratnapura, six from Nuwara Eliya, three each from Kandy and Matara, two each from Galle and Kurunegala, five from the Sri Lanka Broadcast Corporation (SLBC), 25 from quarantine centres and 94 police officers.

With the new cases, Sri Lanka’s total patient count has increased to 12,187, with 6,305 active cases and 400 under investigation in hospitals.

NOCPOC said so far 27 COVID-19 positive Advanced Level students sat for their exams at the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) where they completed it successfully while undergoing treatment.

A total of 273 police officers have also tested positive for the virus.

As at 6am today, 277 Sri Lankan patients returned home upon recovery, bringing total recoveries in Sri Lanka to 5,858. Of the recovered patients, one is a returnee from abroad while 276 are from the Minuwangoda cluster.

NOCPOC said 2,436 patients recovered from the Minuwangoda cluster by November 04: 412 employees of the Brandix apparel factory and 2024 close contacts.

The number of patients reported from the Minuwangoda cluster has increased to 8,713 with the new positive cases identified.

NOCPOC reports showed that after the first positive case of the Minuwangoda cluster was discovered by health authorities on October 03, within the first week the cluster increased to 1,186 and by November 05 to 8,713, with 1,041 employees of the apparel factory 1,007 from Peliyagoda fish market and 6,665 close contacts being identified as positive cases.
Meanwhile, the number of people in quarantine in 33 centres run by the armed forces is 2,601.

Up to 156 people ended their quarantine at military-run centres yesterday, according to NOCPOC. A total of 63,439 people have completed quarantine so far.

By this morning, 22 returnees arrived in Colombo, all of whom flew in from Doha, Qatar, NOCPOC said, adding that all returnees will be directed to military-run quarantine centres.

A total of 556,359 PCR tests have been conducted in the island so far, with 10,655 tests carried out yesterday. NOCPOC reports said, adding that the results of some PCR tests are still pending.

Sri Lanka’s novel coronavirus related deaths rose to 24 yesterday, with a 79-year-old woman who died at home in Colombo yesterday being classified as the 24th person to die of COVID-19. (Colombo/Nov 05/2020)

Future Covid 19 lockdowns unlikely – General Shavendra Silva

ECONOMYNEXT – The government will most likely cease locking down areas as a measure to prevent the spread of the Covid 19 virus, the head of the National Operations Centre for the Prevention of COVID-19 (NOCPC) said.

Army Commander Lt General Shavendra Silva told multiple Television morning shows today that the quarantine curfew now enforced in the Western Province will be lifted on Monday morning and it is unlikely it will be reinforced.

“The President has given us clear instructions to keep the country open as much as possible,” he told morning TV.

This follows a meeting held last evening President Gotabaya Rajapaksa held with the NOCPC and other stakeholders where the issues with daily wage earners was discussed.

In an edited YouTube video released after the meeting, President Rajapaksa is seen describing daily wage earners he passes every day on his way to work.

“These people don’t get regular salaries like Public or Private sector workers,” he says.

The President added that he gets multiple representations from business people who say the economy needs to run.

“We need to manage the pandemic while keeping the economy running. Closing down is not the answer.”

The President said that people who take due precautions don’t get the disease. “Nurses and other health workers who take due precautions don’t contract the disease. If everybody does that we can prevent the spread.”

He told the Task Force it is important that the public be taught to follow the health guidelines closely such as wearing masks, keeping social distance and washing hands.

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“We must insist that if everyone does that we can keep our businesses open, keep our factoring running and carry on with life.”

In a meeting held on November 1, the President emphasized the importance of conducting continuous and regular random tests. He also stressed that every effort should be made to provide the results within a short period of time.



Silva in his interview with both Hiru and Derana said it is unlikely that there will be future lockdowns.

“The President told us that the ten-day quarantine imposed on the Western Province which is the most densely populated in the country should be used to prevent the spread of the disease,” Silva said.

He said that the Task Force and the Health Authorities have conducted random testing in “areas we think there may be patients and we discovered 137 in the Colombo Municipal areas.”

Many other Asian countries have adopted this policy to open up their attempt to restart their economies that have stalled or gone into negative growth due to Covid related lockdowns.

Sri Lanka’s growth recovered rapidly after the initial lockdown phase was over but the new spread is threatening that surge.

Countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia which also adopted extreme measures at the beginning have seen an uptick in their economies. (Colombo, November 5, 2020)

Five more Covid deaths bringing total to 29 – Government

ECONOMYNEXT – The Department of Government Information announced a short while ago that five more people have died of Covid 19 bringing the total death toll to 29. Three victims are from Colombo City and the others from Pimbura and Wellampitiya.

This is the highest number of fatalities recorded in a single day since the virus entered the island nine months ago.

As of now...

Coronavirus Cases:
49,031,012

Deaths:
1,239,608

Recovered:
34,983,279