News
GMOF wants ‘mask rule’ reconsidered
By Sujeewa Thathsara
President of the Government Medical Officers’ Forum Dr Rukshan Bellana yesterday called on medical authorities to reconsider the mandatory health regulations for people to wear masks since such regulations may result in unforeseen complications for their respiratory systems.
“People have been wearing masks for nearly two years owing to regulations making it mandatory for them to wear them in public places. This could result in lack of oxygen intake because they are compelled to inhale what they exhale containing little oxygen. There could be possible respiratory complications. This matter has not been studied properly so responsible authorities should lax the regulations at least for the people who had obtained all the doses of vaccination including the booster dose. We have noticed that there is a surge of patients complaining faint and mild weakness and lethargy which are the symptoms of lack of oxygen intake. We know that almost all health workers have been fully vaccinated and they do not need to follow the mandatory regulation of wearing masks all the time,” Dr Bellana said.
Dr Bellana said that healthcare professionals in many other countries have reported side effects of prolonged use of personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for COVID-19 patients. There are concerns into various adverse effects of prolonged mask use. “It has been observed that the prolonged use of N95 and surgical masks by healthcare professionals has caused adverse effects such as headaches, rash, acne, skin breakdown, and impaired cognition. Therefore we call on authorities to lax the regulations making it compulsory to wear masks for people,” Dr Bellana said.
Andrey Rudenko, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka on Tuesday (31) to take part in the 11th round of bilateral political consultations between the two nations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the visit aimed to further strengthen longstanding diplomatic ties and broaden cooperation across multiple sectors.
A man and h is son allegedly linked to a drug trafficking network were arrested by the CID at the Bandaranaike International Airport, following their deportation from India, and handed over to the Western Province North Crimes Division on Saturday (28).
The arrests stem from an earlier detection on January 29, 2026, when a team of officers from the Western Province North Crimes Division apprehended a suspect in the Ganemulla Police area with 4.4 kilos of cocaine and 3,450 narcotic pills in her possession.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the suspect’s husband and son had aided and abetted the trafficking operation and had fled the country by sea to India.
The two suspects, aged 57 and 23, were later arrested by Indian security authorities, on Tuesday (24), while residing there illegally and were deported to Sri Lanka on Saturday (28).
Upon arrival at the airport, they were taken into custody by CID officers and subsequently handed over to the Western Province North Crimes Division for further investigations, which are continuing.
By Chaminda Silva
The Police and the Special Task Force have called for applications to fill vacancies in the posts of Police Constable, Female Police Constable and Police Constable Driver, with nearly 7,500 openings countrywide, including in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
Applications must be submitted online via the official Sri Lanka Police website (www.police.lk) under the “Join Us” section or by scanning the relevant QR code. The closing date for applications is May 8, 2026, the Police Media Division said on Saturday (28).
The Police Recruitment Division said further information could be obtained via 071-8591925, 011-2505202 or 011-2552953.
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