Officials continue to hunt for main source behind Minuwangoda cluster

Officials have yet to identify the main source behind the Minuwangoda cluster, the Health Ministry said today.

Chief Epidemiologist Dr Sudath Samaraweera said that the authorities are attempting to identify the main source behind the Minuwangoda cluster.

Earlier yesterday, a 39-year-old woman from Brandix had been?detected with the virus?after being admitted to the Gampaha hospital.

Dr Sudath Samaraweera said that sometimes the authorities may not find the exact source.

He said that urgent steps are being taken to contain the Minuwangoda cluster and so far it has not resulted in a community spread.

“This is now only a cluster like we had with the Navy cluster earlier. There is no community spread as of now,” he said.

Dr Sudath Samaraweera said that the 39-year-old woman sought treatment from a dispensary for fever on 28th September and on 30th September she got admitted to the Gampaha hospital.

Samaraweera said that a PCR test was carried out on the woman and the result confirmed that the woman had contracted the coronavirus.

Head of the National Operations Centre for the Prevention of COVID-19 (NOCPC) Army Commander Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva said a Police curfew had been imposed in the Minuwangoda, Veyangoda and Divulapitiya Police areas in order to contain the transmission or contracting of the virus in public places.

Similarly, colleagues and those who had travelled with the infected woman in her office transport have also been placed in self-isolation at their homes. The Ministry of Health will conduct PCR tests on all those who had come into contact with the victim. Until the source of her contracting the virus is detected, restrictions of movement have been placed on those areas, Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva said.

He further instructed those who had visited Minuwangoda, Divulapitiya, and Veyangoda areas in the past 07 days and are experiencing health issues to immediately consult a doctor.

Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva also appealed to the public to refrain from visiting those areas until further notice.?(Colombo Gazette)