Breaking News, News

First contacts of coronavirus patients to be home quarantined in future

26 Oct, 2020

By Vyshnavy Velrajh

First contacts, including family members, of people who test positive for the coronavirus will be home quarantined and not taken to quarantine centers from today (26).

Head of the National Operations Centre for the Prevention of COVID-19 (NOCPC) Army Commander Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva told Colombo Gazette that first contacts of confirmed patients will have to strictly adhere to the advice of health authorities during this period.

They will be instructed to remain indoors until a PCR test is conducted and the result is received.

The decision to quarantine family members of confirmed patients at their residences was taken, after it was brought to the attention of the authorities that many people were facing difficulties in leaving their homes due to responsibilities towards their elderly parents, pets and others.

Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva said that random PCR tests will continue to be conducted across the country, along with tests being taken on those connected to the Minuwangoda and Peliyagoda coronavirus clusters.

Government doctors had also proposed earlier that the quarantine process be reviewed with space running out at quarantine centers.?(Colombo Gazette)

Recommended For You

Feature Image

Another 24 coronavirus patients detected

Twenty- four more persons infected with COVID- 19 were detected in Sri Lanka today. Director of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe said this raises the total number of infected persons to 295. The new patients have been identified as persons who were placed in quarantine in the Bandaranayakepura area in Colombo 12, he said. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health says 96 patients, including 95 Sri Lankans and one Chinese woman, have completely recovered and have been discharged from hospital. Seven

20 Apr, 2020

Feature Image

New regulation makes it mandatory to cremate victims

A new regulation gazetted by the Government has made it mandatory to cremate victims of the coronavirus. The gazette notice notes that the corpse of a person who has died or is suspected to have died, of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) shall be cremated. The regulation notes that the cremation must take place at the temperature of 800 to 1200 degrees Celsius for a minimum period of forty-five minutes to one hour for complete burning, for the purpose of prevention of any potential biologica

12 Apr, 2020

Feature Image

President assures justice for Easter victims

The Government says it is committed to ensure justice for the people who suffered due to the Easter Sunday terror attacks last year. In his message for Easter Sunday commemorated today, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said the Easter festivities in the past were full of joy and delight. However, last year it left a sorrowful memory of pain and loss. Even today the shock has not been fully erased.? He assured that the Government is determined to ensure complete eradication of such tragedies from t

12 Apr, 2020