… countrywide curfew unlikely as Year 5 Scholarship and GCE AL exams on

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Attorney General Dappula de Livera, PC, has directed that his officers refrain from dealing with government servants and police officers currently serving in areas where a curfew has been imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19

The Attorney General’s Office yesterday (9) afternoon announced the unprecedented measure as the government battled what a section of the media called the Brandix cluster.

Coordinating Officer to AG de Livera, Attorney-at-law Nishara Jayaratne told The Island officers would refrain from consultations as a precautionary measure. Since a 39-year-old female employee of Brandix garment manufacturing facility reported positive last Sunday (4), police headquarters imposed curfew in Gampaha, Ganemulla, Kiridiwela, Dompe, Malwathuhiripitiya, Mirigama, Nittambuwa, Pugoda, Veyangoda, Minuwangoda, Weeragula, Weliweriya, Pallewela, Yakkala, Ja-ela, Kandana, Divulapitiya and Seeduwa.

There is a likelihood of the AG extending the suspension in case police headquarters brought more areas under curfew.

So far, the health ministry had reported nearly 1,100 positive cases whereas several thousands were quarantined in military run facilities, hotels as well as in their own homes.

Well informed sources told The Island a substantial number of Brandix workers had been affected by the time the first detection was made. Therefore, an inquiry was needed as over1,000 couldn’t have been affected under any circumstances within four or five days, sources said.

Responding to another query, sources emphasized that random tests conducted on those having flu led to the first detection over the last weekend. If not for the chance detection, the situation would have been far worse, sources said.

Health Minister Pavitra Wanniarachchi told the first media briefing following the ‘Brandix eruption’ last Sunday (4) that government health sector made the chance detection. Her statement contradicted the first Brandix statement that the detection was made by them.

The Attorney’s General announced restrictions in the wake of the entire police contingent deployed at the Munuwangoda police being quarantined after a food supplier to the station tested corona positive. Minuwangoda police station didn’t function on Thursday.

 Sources pointed out that the Brandix eruption had taken place days before the chance detection. This was proved by the food supplier to the Minuwangoda police station being infected by his son, an employee at the Brandix facility, sources said. They said that Brandix workers had been tested positive in many districts, including Jaffna, outside Gampaha as they were allowed to go on leave until the chance detection was made over the last weekend.

Police spokesman and attorney-at-law DIG Ajith Rohana yesterday said that there had been 85 personnel there at the time the food supplier tested positive. “We moved there 80 new officers and men to resume operations. In addition to personnel who had been brought from police stations within the Gampaha Division, men were called from police training facilities at Kalutara, Nikaweratiya, Boralanda, Elpitiya, Pahalagama and Kundasale,” DIG Rohana said. Those who had been previously at the Minuwangoda station were in the process of undergoing RT PCR tests, the police spokesman said.

Earlier, the Army decided to postpone the Army Day parade at the Galle Face due to the Corona outbreak.

Meanwhile, Ceylon Teachers’ Service Union, in a letter to Education Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris yesterday urged the government to take maximum possible precautions to ensure the safety of those sitting the Year Five Scholarship Examination scheduled to be held on Oct 11 and the GCE Advanced Level from Oct 12 to Nov 16 due to corona threat.

Sources said that contrary to claims that the government was to declare countrywide curfew in view of the deteriorating situation, the decision to go ahead with the Year 5 Scholarship Examination as well as resume the GCE Advanced Level as scheduled on Monday would prevent declaration of curfew.