Restrictions of movement among Provinces will have to be imposed if the COVID-19 cases increase unabated, Health Services Director General Dr. Asela Gunawardena said.
He said that this measure would have to be taken to prevent the spread of the Virus from highly infected areas, especially from Colombo, to other less infected areas.
Close to 100 Grama Niladhari Divisions and Police areas have been isolated as at yesterday due to the rapid spread of COVID-19.
Public Health Inspectors’ Association President Upul Rohana pointed out that there is a risk of the pandemic getting out of hand of the health authorities if people continue to break the health guidelines and instructions.
He pointed out that the daily cases were rising sharply and hospitals and care centres were stretched to the limit.
In the last seven days, an average of 1,699 new COVID-19 cases had been reported daily in the country according to the statistics. The average number of daily PCR tests conducted during the same period stood at 23,651.
A considerable number of health personnel, Divisional Secretaries, Police personnel, Grama Niladhari Officers and Military personnel are also infected with the virus leading to a problem of continuing public services in some areas.
In the meantime, the number of COVID-19 recoveries surpassed the mark of 100,000 yesterday as 922 more patients were discharged from hospitals after full recovery. The total number of recoveries stood at 100,075 with yesterday’s figures.
About 14,700 patients were still receiving treatment at hospitals and intermediate care centres.
As at 6pm yesterday 1,259 new COVID-19 cases were reported increasing the total number of cases in the country to 116,849.
About 928,100 individuals had received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 140,700 frontline workers had also received the second dose as at yesterday.
Meanwhile, State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals (Prof.) Channa Jayasumana assured parliament yesterday that by December 31 this year 10.3 million of the population of the country would be vaccinated.
He also denied claims made by certain factions that Indians are being quarantined in Sri Lanka, adding that there are no Indians under any quarantine procedures in the country.
“We have a plan for the vaccination programme and we are working according to that plan. However, due to the situation in India we have faced certain difficulties in obtaining the vaccine supplies from India. By the end of the year, we will receive 13 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine for which we have already signed agreements,” he said.
He also noted that 2,500 Chinese nationals in Sri Lanka have been given the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine and they have not shown any complications.
