COLOMBO, Aug 7 (NNN-XINHUA) – Sri Lanka’s Army Chief and Head of the National Operations Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak, General Shavendra Silva, said that, a countrywide lockdown would not be imposed, in the wake of a spike in COVID-19 cases, but restrictions on public gatherings would come into immediate effect.
Silva said that, following a meeting with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in which stakeholders briefed the president on the current situation of COVID-19 spread, it was decided that a countrywide lockdown was not required, but the number of people attending weddings, funerals, and other public events should be limited.
Accordingly, wedding attendees at places where the capacity is over 500 will be limited to 150 guests, while the places of less than 500 capacity will be limited to 100 guests. Also, a maximum of 25 people will be allowed to attend funerals at any given time, with effect from midnight tonight.
Silva said, all state festivals will also be postponed until Sept 1, while the attendance of government servants should be decided by the head of the institution.
Sri Lanka is in the midst of a third wave of the pandemic with medical officials warning that the Delta Variant may be spreading beyond control. Hospitals, especially in the main urban Western Province, have been filled with patients, while officials have raised warnings of a possible oxygen shortage.
State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals, Channa Jayasumana, was quoted as saying that, discussions were underway to import more PPE’s, PCR and Antigen test kits, and oxygen from foreign partners.
He said, there was a possibility of COVID-19 cases doubling or trebling in the coming weeks. People throughout the country have been urged to strictly follow all health protocols, as well as, maintain wearing tight-fitting masks when leaving home.
Those caught violating these health guidelines will be arrested, the police warned.
According to official figures, Sri Lanka’s total active patient count rose to 28,301 yesterday, while the total death count reached 4,821. On Thursday the country reported 94 deaths in a single day.– NNN-XINHUA
