News
Highly contagious Delta variant victim surfaces from Kahathuduwa
By Rathindra Kuruwita
A person who contracted the highly contagious Indian strain, or the Delta variant of COVID-19, had been found from Jayaliyagama, Kahathuduwa, the MOH there Danuka Pathmaraja told the media yesterday.
The 47-year-old man works at a prominent construction firm, located at Slave Island, Colombo. The patient was sent to a treatment centre in Polonnaruwa. About 50 of his associates have been quarantined and the area has been isolated.
“We suspect that he contracted the virus at the construction site. Luckily, he has not been in contact with his neighbours very much. However, we are doing 100 random PCR tests in the area. We have isolated this area until we complete the testing,” Pathmaraja said.
With this detection, the number of people infected with the Delta variant has increased to eight.
Meanwhile, Director of the Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura Dr. Chandima Jeewandara said that they were currently sequencing 100 samples from those who had tested COVID-19 positive to identify what variants they had contracted. The results would be released within a week, he said.
“These samples will cover the entire island,” he said. The University of Sri Jayewardenepura is the only Sri Lankan institution that conducts gene sequencing in the country. WHO recommends that at least 1% of total COVID-19 positive samples should be gene sequenced.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms to establish a new Commercial High Court to ensure expeditious disposal of the existing backlog of commercial matters.
The new Commercial High Court will be established at No.80, Justice Avenue, Colombo 12
Latest News
219.72 Hectares of land in Siyambalanduwa to be acquired and leased to Sustainable Energy Authority
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Power and Energy on the recommendation of the Ministry of Tourism and Lands, to acquire 219.72 hectares of land in Siyambalanduwa Divisional Secretariat Division of Monaragala District and lease the relevant extent of land on a long-term lease basis for a period of 25 years to the Sustainable Energy Authority, with relevant provisions to enable sub-leasing to a selected renewable energy developer.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Defense to make arrangements to regulate chemicals that could be misused, and to transfer the said regulatory role to the National Authority for the Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Among the large number of different chemicals that are used in the country for peaceful purposes such as industrial, agricultural, medical and research activities it has been observed that among those chemicals, chemicals like Nitric acid, Chlorine, Hydrogen Peroxide, Potassium Cyanide, sodium cyanide, Nitro Methane and Sodium Azide are of dual use nature which can be used in many different industries such as milk, beverages, oil-related industries, water purification etc. can be used for harmful activities that threaten national security.
Cabinet nod for new Commercial High Court
219.72 Hectares of land in Siyambalanduwa to be acquired and leased to Sustainable Energy Authority
Chemicals to be regulated to prevent misuse
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