News
New Health guidelines to tackle Omicron soon

By Rathindra Kuruwita
The Committee on communicable diseases would soon provide recommendations on tackling the challenges posed by the new COVID variant, Deputy Director General of Health Services, Dr. Hemantha Herath yesterday said.
“The committee members will meet on Friday evening and will discuss what the country has to do. They will look at the WHO recommendations, what other countries are doing and what the best cause of action for Sri Lanka to follow,” he said.
Dr. Herath added that the health officials understood the gravity of the situation and that was why the committee decided to meet yesterday.
The Deputy Director General of Health Services said so when a journalist asked him what the Health Ministry had done to face possible challenges posed by the new COVID variant Omicron. Dr. Herath said countries had responded in different ways and that some countries had been quick to impose travel restrictions.
“However, those are countries that are seeing a rapid increase in the virus. In England Omicron has reached community spread level,” he said, adding that there were ample space and facilities in hospitals. All those who show moderate to severe symptoms would be hospitalised and even those who do not show symptoms can admit themselves if they had underlying medical conditions.
“We must follow health guidelines. If we do that, we can limit the spread of the disease. Don’t let your guard down,” he cautioned.
Latest News
Sun directly overhead Delft, Pooneryn, Elephant pass and Chundikulam at about 12:10 noon today (14th)

On the apparent northward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka during 05th to 14th of April in this year.
The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (14th) are Delft, Pooneryn, Elephant pass and Chundikulam at about 12:10 noon.
Business
IMF staff team concludes visit to Sri Lanka

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Evan Papageorgiou visited Colombo from April 3 to 11, 2025. After constructive discussions in Colombo, Mr. Papageorgiou issued the following statement:
“Sri Lanka’s ambitious reform agenda supported by the IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) continues to deliver commendable outcomes. The post-crisis growth rebound of 5 percent in 2024 is impressive. Inflation declined considerably in recent quarters and has fallen to ‑2.6 percent at end-March 2025. Gross official reserves increased to US$6.5 billion at end-March 2025 with sizeable foreign exchange purchases by the central bank. Substantial fiscal reforms have strengthened public finances.
“The recent external shock and evolving developments are creating uncertainty for the Sri Lankan economy, which is still recovering from its own economic crisis. More time is needed to assess the impact of the global shock and how its implications for Sri Lanka can be addressed within the contours of its IMF-supported program.
“The government’s sustained commitment to program objectives is ensuring policy continuity and program implementation remains strong. Going forward, sustaining the reform momentum is critical to safeguard the hard-won gains of the program and put the economy on a path toward lasting macroeconomic stability and higher inclusive growth.
“Against increased global uncertainty, sustained revenue mobilization efforts and prudent budget execution in line with Budget 2025 are critical to preserve the limited fiscal space. Boosting tax compliance, including by reinstating an efficient and timely VAT refund mechanism, will help contribute to revenue gains without resorting to additional tax policy measures. Avoiding new tax exemptions will help reduce fiscal revenue leakages, corruption risks and build much needed fiscal buffers, including for social spending to support Sri Lanka’s most vulnerable. Restoring cost recovery in electricity pricing will help minimize fiscal risks arising from the electricity state-owned enterprise.
“The government has an important responsibility to protect the poor and vulnerable at this uncertain time. It is important to redouble efforts to improve targeting, adequacy, and coverage of social safety nets. Fiscal support needs to be well-targeted, time-bound, and within the existing budget envelope.
“While inflation remains low, continued monitoring is warranted to ensure sustained price stability and support macroeconomic stability. Against ongoing global uncertainty, it remains important to continue rebuilding external buffers through reserves accumulation.
“Discussions are ongoing, and the authorities are encouraged to continue to make progress on restoring cost-recovery electricity pricing, strengthening the tax exemptions framework, and other important structural reforms.
“The IMF team held meetings with His Excellency President and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Honorable Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya ; Honorable Labor Minister and Deputy Minister of Economic Development Prof. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Honorable Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Central Bank of Sri Lanka Governor Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Secretary to the Treasury Mr. K M Mahinda Siriwardana, Senior Economic Advisor to the President Duminda Hulangamuwa, and other senior government and CBSL officials. The team also met with parliamentarians, representatives from the private sector, civil society organizations, and development partners.
“We would like to thank the authorities for the excellent collaboration during the mission. Discussions are continuing with the goal of reaching staff-level agreement in the near term to pave the way for the timely completion of the fourth review. We reaffirm our commitment to support Sri Lanka at this uncertain time.”
News
New Year dawns at the auspicious time of 03.21 a.m. tomorrow (14).

The Sinhala and Tamil New Year will dawn at the auspicious time of 03.21 a.m. tomorrow (14th Monday).
The auspicious time to light the hearth and prepare the first meal is at 0404 am on Monday (14) facing South.
The auspicious hour to commence work, perform the first transactions and partaking of the first meal is at 0644 am facing South dressed in white coloured clothes.
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