News
Raging Covid-19 infections top one thousand on three consecutive days
For the first time since the eruption of the contagion in SL
By Suresh Perera
The spike in Covid-19 infections has reached alarming proportions with positive numbers exceeding one thousand per day over the past three days, health officials said.
On Thursday alone, 1,491 persons tested positive for the virus from many parts of the country, according to figures released by the Health Ministry’s Epidemiology Unit at 6.00 pm.
This was the first time that the number of positive cases topped one thousand for three consecutive days since the outbreak of the contagion in Sri Lanka in 2020, they said.
With the latest positive cases, the total number of infections in the country shot up to 108,154 as of April 29, 2021. The number of persons who had recovered and discharged from hospitals so far stood at 95,445.
Army Commander and head of the anti-Covid drive, Gen. Shavendra Silva said that any area considered “high risk” will be placed under isolation without prior notice as part of concerted efforts to stem the ongoing wave of infections.
He said that if the situation escalated with infections continuing to spiral, buildings belonging to the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and tourist hotels will converted into temporary treatment centres.
Initially, facilities of the SLA will be used and in case there’s a shortfall depending on emerging infection numbers, tourist hotels will also be drawn in, the Army chief told journalists in Colombo.
Scientists of the Sri Jayewardenepura University have confirmed that the Corona virus now sweeping across the country is a virulent variant found in the United Kingdom. It is, however, not still known how the strain sneaked into Sri Lanka to wreak havoc.
Many areas in eight districts continue to remain isolated as the highly contagious strain with a bigger viral load continued to rage largely due to unrestricted travel, shopping in crowded marketplaces and festivities during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, health officials said.
Unlike earlier, most patients now show symptoms and need immediate ICU treatment, they added.
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation to provide the required provisions to purchase the green gram harvest in a competitive manner with the private sector by expanding the program initiated by the National Food Promotion Board, on the advice of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation,
Green gram has been cultivated in an area of about 16,500 hectares in the 2025 Yala Season and intermediate season and a harvest of about 14,600 metric tons of green gram is expected. Currently, green gram harvesting has started in the Hambantota district, and it has been reported that middlemen are buying the harvest for a low price of Rs. 450/- per kilogram.
Approval has been granted at the cabinet meeting held on 08-02-2021 to award 326 bridge construction contracts to the State Development and Construction Corporation for the construction of bridges across the island under the Rural Bridges Program.
The construction of a further 23 bridges has been assigned to the Road Development Authority.
It had been decided in the year 2022, to stop the construction of 184 bridges, where construction had not been initiated. The construction of 45 bridges from the 142 remaining bridges have already been completed.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Transport, Highways, and Urban
Development to recommence the construction of the remaining 74 bridges by the State Development and Construction Corporation and to complete the construction expeditiously.
Policy approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 16.06.2025 to repeal the Parliamentary Pension Act No. 1 of 1971 of the State Council.
In keeping with the promise given to all Sri Lankans who supported the vision of ‘A wealthy country – A beautiful life’ which appeared in the policy declaration of the Government, a draft bill has been prepared by the Legal Draftsmen for
repealing the Parliamentary Pension Act with the objective of cancelling pensions rights given to elected members of the Parliament and their spouses.
As the Attorney General has given clearance to the draft bill, the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted to the proposal submitted by the Minister of Justic and National Integration to publish the said draft bill in the government gazette notification and subsequently to be presented to the Parliament for its concurrence.
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Purchasing of 2025 green gram harvest
Cabinet approves the completion 74 bridges under the Rural Bridge Program
‘Heartbroken’ Alcaraz pulls out of Davis Cup Finals
Parliamentary Pension Act No. 1 of 1971 to be repelled
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