News

Spike in Covid-19 infections raise concern over emergence of new virulent variant

Published

5 years ago

2021/04/25

By Suresh Perera

Amidst the alarming surge in Covid-19 infections, health officials expressed concern over the possible emergence of a new variant of the contagion leading to the rapid transmission of the virus.

“We assume that a new strain of the virus has surfaced though it has still not been conclusively established”, says Dr. Sudath Samaraweera, Director of the Health Ministry’s Epidemiology Unit.

The rapid transmission level of the virus has raised concern over a new variant with a more virulent load developing to claim bigger numbers in terms of infections, health officials said.

With 634 deaths so far, Covid-19 positive cases have spiked over the past few days with admissions to intensive care units spiraling.

In the backdrop of many areas across several districts being placed under isolation as infection numbers soared, Dr. Samaraweera said the emergence of some new clusters has propelled the health authorities to clamp down emergency measures to halt the further spread of the deadly virus.

PCR screening has also been stepped up following the escalation of positive cases, with 15,000 tests conducted on a daily basis, the officials said. “If Colombo becomes a hotspot again, the spillover could have disastrous consequences”.

The next three weeks will be crucial as infections could proliferate if people don’t avoid crowded places, get-togethers and events, which are super-spreaders of the virus, they warned.

At present, the rise in infections cannot be described as a ‘third wave’, but it will happen if people continue to throw caution to the wind and disregard health safety guidelines, they cautioned.

The eruption of fresh clusters was the result of intense inter-provincial travel, shopping in crowded bazaars and get-togethers during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year notwithstanding clear warnings by health authorities to adhere to stipulated Covid-19 preventive measures, the officials explained.

Now, the country has to pay the price for the folly of a few who didn’t give a tuppence about safety protocols, they pointed out.

Take the Pamunuwa area in Maharagama as an example. Prior to the New Year holidays, business establishments and the bazaar there were crammed with shoppers many of whom disregarded Covid-19 safety guidelines, health officials said.

The end result was that two shops selling clothes were closed, after two employees tested positive for corona and 22 of their close contacts identified and isolated, they noted.

The latest area to be placed under lockdown on Thursday was Kuliyapitiya in the Kurunegala district, where a surge in infections was witnessed.

Sub-clusters have also emerged in Kurunegala, Narammala, Alawwa, Gampaha, Colombo, Kottawa, Piliyandala, Panadura, Puttalam, Trincomalee and Jaffna.

Some sub clusters were also reported from the garment sector after some workers were found infected in a few factories. Twelve persons from Batuwatte in Ragama and 26 individuals from Divulapitiya also tested positive after they had participated in various New Year related activities.

Contact tracing of close associates was set in motion with those identified so far placed under isolation.

Some employees of a bank in Colombo were also found infected.

As a preventive measure, the Prisons Department announced on Friday that no visitors will be allowed into any prisons for two weeks with effect from Saturday, April 24.

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Cabinet approves construction of new 300 bed Base Hospital in Deniyaya

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/18

Priyan

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution forwarded by the Minister of Health and Mass Media to relocate the Deniyaya Base Hospital after constructing a new hospital with a capacity of 300 beds at an estimated cost of Rupees 6,000 million.

The Southern Provincial Department of Health has acquired a plot of land in Handford estate which is approximately 03 kilometres away from the town for this purpose.

News

Cabinet nod to legally empower methodology for implementing the ‘Praja Shakthi’ poverty alleviation national movement

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/18

Priyan

The Cabinet of Ministers granted approval for the resolution furnished by the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment to instruct the Legal Draftsman to draft a bill to legally empower the implementation of ‘Praja Shakthi’ (Strength of the Community) poverty alleviation national movement

News

NPP not under Indian pressure to hold PC polls – JVP

Published

5 hours ago

2026/02/18

Sahan Weerasooriya

Tilvin Silva

…preliminary work started on new Constitution

JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva yesterday (17) maintained that the NPP government was not under Indian pressure to hold the long delayed Provincial Council elections.

The top JVP official said so appearing on Sirasa Pathikada, anchored by Asoka Dias. Tilvin Silva said that neither the devolution nor terrorism issues had been discussed during his meeting with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Deputy National Security Advisor Pavan Kapoor, in New Delhi. This was Tilvin Silva’s first visit to India.

Declaring that politics hadn’t been on the agenda, the JVPer said that the Indian focus was entirely on economic development and technology.

The JVP General Secretary visited India under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations’ (ICCR) Distinguished Visitors Programme from 5-12 February 2026. General Secretary Silva was accompanied by Kitnan Selvaraj, MP, Ilankumaran Karunanathan, MP, JVP Central Committee Member Janaka Adhikari, JVP’s Media Unit Head Hemathilaka Gamage and Member of JVP’s International Relations Department Kalpana Madhubhashini. The delegation visited New Delhi, Ahmedabad and Thiruvananthapuram.

Responding to another query, Tilvin Silva said that Dr. S. Jaishankar had reiterated that India would always remain a true and trusted partner for Sri Lanka, in accordance with its ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ and Vision ‘MAHASAGAR.’

Referring to the second JVP insurrection in the late 1980s, the JVPer claimed that they had not been against India but responded to the actions of the then Indian government.

Sri Lanka enacted the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in the wake of the Indo-Lanka peace accord of July 1987 to pave the way for Provincial Councils.

Tilvin Silva said that since they came to power, Indo-Sri Lanka relations had changed. “India has realised we could work together,” he said.

The JVP official said that preliminary work was underway, regarding the formulation of a new Constitution. The abolition of executive presidency and creation of an Office of President sans executive powers, too, would be addressed, he said, adding that the strengthening of the legislature was the other issue at hand.

Pointing out that the NPP had 2/3 majority in Parliament and could introduce a new Constitution on their own, Tilvin Silva said that they intended to obtain views of all and study the past processes in a bid to secure consensus. The JVP, as the party that campaigned against the introduction of executive presidency, way back in 1978, would lead the current effort to do away with the existing Constitution, he said.

Tilvin promised that they would implement what was in their manifesto.

The interviewer also raised the issue of abolishing the pensions for ex-Presidents. Tilvin Silva said that the Supreme Court, too, had approved the move to abolish pensions to ex-MPs. Therefore there was no issue with that, however, the ex-Presidents pensions couldn’t be done away with as they were made through the Constitution. That would be addressed when the government introduced a new Constitution in consultation with other stakeholders.

By Shamindra Ferdinando