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Health officials warn of major COVID outbreak unless…..

Published

5 years ago

2022/01/24

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Health officials on Friday (21) urged people to restrict their movement if the country was to avert an explosive spread of Covid-19. They said the Omicron was becoming the dominant variant in Sri Lanka.

Medical Technical Services Director Dr. Anwar Hamdani told the media that the number of COVID cases was rising and it was an indication that the Omicron variant was spreading rapidly.

“This can be an early sign of a major outbreak in the future. We need to prepare ourselves and people must act responsibly,” he said.

Dr. Hamdani added that people should get the booster shot as soon as possible and follow health guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID. Despite the best efforts of health officials only 31% of the people had taken the booster shot, he said.

“People are not taking the booster due to various myths and rumours mainly spread through social media. People should get the booster as soon as possible. They should also adhere to health guidelines. COVID may have many variants but the way all variants spread is the same,” he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director General of Health Services, Dr. Hemantha Herath told The Island that there were signs that Omicron infections would spike in the coming weeks.

“In some other countries, new variants quickly assert dominance. However, I have always said that when a new variant comes into Sri Lanka, it takes a while for it to establish itself and then start multiplying. This was the same case with Alpha and Delta. So, we can’t say we won’t be affected by Omicron,” he said.

The Deputy Director General of Health Services added that despite vaccination, those with underlying conditions and those who were weak could get severe forms of COVID and some of them will die. Thus, it was the responsibility of the healthy and the active to ensure that the weak and the sick were not exposed to the virus.

“The best way to do this is to get vaccinated and to follow health guidelines,” he said.

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“Rathuwewi Mihimadala” Book Launched with the Participation of the Prime Minister

Published

4 hours ago

2026/08/30

Priyan

The book “Rathuwewi Mihimadala”, written based on the life story of Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Leader of the Democratic Left Front, was launched on Friday [August 28] at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo, with the participation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

Speaking to the media afterwards about Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated:

“Vasudeva Nanayakkara is a prominent figure in Sri Lankan politics, particularly within the left-wing political movement. There were several influential figures within the left movement, and that left-wing influence also contributed to bringing the country to where it is today. Politically, there were areas where we agreed and areas where we did not. However, I have great respect for the contribution made by Vasudeva Nanayakkara to left-wing politics. When I entered Parliament in 2020, Vasudeva Nanayakkara was also in Parliament. We sat in the same row, and we spoke about many important as well as interesting moments in his political career. I believe some of these experiences have also been included in this book.”

The event was attended by members of the Maha Sangha, Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara, former President Maithripala Sirisena, former Speakers Karu Jayasuriya and Chamal Rajapaksa, as well as party members, family members and friends.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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Sun directly overhead Mannar, Periyamadu, Puliyankulam, Welioya and Pulmoddai about 12.11 noon today (30)

Published

15 hours ago

2026/08/30

Priyan

The sun is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from 28th of August to 07th of September due to its apparent southward relative motion.

The nearest places of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (30) are Mannar, Periyamadu, Puliyankulam, Welioya and
Pulmoddai about 12.11 noon.

News

Lanka tracks 11 US-sanctioned Iranian tankers off coast

Published

17 hours ago

2026/08/30

Thilina Walpola

(AFP) Sri Lanka’s maritime authorities were monitoring a fleet of 11 US-sanctioned Iranian oil tankers just off the island’s southern coast, the foreign minister said Wednesday.

The tankers were spotted close to the Galle harbour where an Iranian frigate, IRIS Dena, was sunk by a US submarine in March, killing 104 sailors. Sri Lanka’s navy rescued 32 Iranian sailors from that frigate.

Iranian vessels have been in limbo, unable to return to their home port because of a US blockade.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign minister Vijitha Herath said the tankers were in international waters where they had freedom of navigation.

“These ships are away from our territorial waters… we have no hold on them, nor have we facilitated them,” Herath told AFP.

The military deployed reconnaissance aircraft and patrol boats to monitor the vessels outside Sri Lanka’s 12-nautical-mile territorial waters, a military official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“There is no indication of any ship-to-ship transfer of oil or illegal discharge of pollutants, so there is no basis for Sri Lankan authorities to take action against them,” the official said.

Many Iranian merchant vessels moved east towards the Strait of Malacca and Singapore due to US sanctions, while several remained near Sri Lankan waters, authorities said.

Sri Lankan officials said Washington had not formally notified Colombo about sanctioned Iranian-flagged vessels