NOCPCO takes stock of situation in wake of resurgence of highly contagious virus

State Minister of Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research and Innovation, Dr. Seetha Arambepola at the NOPCO meeting

The National Operations Centre for Prevention of COVID- 19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) evaluating the current situation in the wake of resurgence of the highly contagious virus in the country has agreed that the strategies to prevent further spread of the virus needed constant reviewing and close cooperation between health and security officials, army said yesterday.

At a special discussion held Sunday at the NOCPCO, the task force closely reviewed the status quo of the epidemic, current developments and strategies to prevent further spread.

The task force extensively discussed the emergence of new clusters, application of emergency procedures, facilitation of first, second and third contacts to new Quarantine Centres (QCs), management of patients at hospitals and makeshift places, re-evaluation of existing strategies and their repercussions, interconnections between those approaches, etc.

State Minister of Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research and Innovation, Dr. Seetha Arambepola, Secretary to the Ministry of Health, Major General Sanjeewa Munasinghe, acting Director General of Health Services and Medical Specialist, Dr. S. Sridharan and a few more stakeholders attended the meeting chaired by the Head of NOCPCO, Army Commander Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva.

At the start of the proceedings, the Army Commander presented a comprehensive account of current developments and fast increase in affected-numbers while elaborating on fast changing patterns of behavior of the emergence of clusters and more positive cases.

The task force members pointed out that strategies of managing affected patients in the wake of emergence of more positive cases at district level as well as admission possibilities that should go hand in hand with quarantining practice of first and second stage contacts should be properly interconnected in order to achieve national objectives at large without causing the epidemic to spread further.

It was also suggested that areas which were of greater relevance and importance be reviewed closely in comparison with new implications in order to get the best results out of such new adoptive methods and strategic applications as relationships with intelligence, service providers, and facilitators at the actual ground level be seen against modern technological accessories available.

The members informed that it should clearly showcase the cooperation that exists between health officials and the Army. Hence, the close evaluation of first and second contacts, self-quarantining process and tracing of such contacts were very much essential in an epidemic of this magnitude.

Participants highlighted the need of such deliberations as often as possible and application of most suitable strategic approaches as and when emergency requirements arose.