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SL facing just beginning of Delta crisis – expert

Published

5 years ago

on

By Rathindra Kuruwita

COVID-19 had reached the community spread stage in the Western Province, some parts of the Northern Province and in the Galle and Matara districts, Prof. Manuj C. Weerasinghe, Head, Department of Community Medicine said on Thursday. He is also involved in the ‘904’ SMS-based system to manage home quarantined Covid-19 patients.

Prof. Weerasinghe said that naming clusters, i.e. Avurudu Pokura, Malu Market Pokura, etc., no longer made any sense as the country was only at the beginning of the crisis created by the Delta variant

“We are only seeing the beginning. We must not dupe ourselves into thinking that we are near the end of the crisis created by Delta,” he said,

Prof. Weerasinghe said that there was no point in talking about the official figures, or planning based on the numbers at their disposal. Making assumptions based on these numbers will only lead to trouble, he said.

“We have to look beyond the numbers and understand the dynamics of the real world. We can safely assume that if there is one COVID positive person in the house, most of the other members too are infected. Given that it’s not easy to get tested, other family members won’t be in the official statistics. This is not only a health crisis but also the beginninf of a social crisis,” he said.

Moreover, in most Sri Lankan households, young people of 18 liveed among senior citizens and thus, the medical attention they need differed, he said, adding that no one had thought of what happened after the travel restrictions were lifted. “Given that we have not imposed a curfew to ensure that people remain in their homes, the effectiveness of the current lockdown is questionabl,” he said.

“Is there a way to enforce effective travel restrictions short of a curfew? It’s good if there is such a method. It’s even better if people stay home when they are asked to do so. However, we know this is not how things happen in the real world. There is a segment of people who will try to do the opposite of what they are advised to do. We have to take severe action because there are such people,” he said.

The extension of the lockdown for another week had given the government and health officials time to decide what they want to achieve during the lockdown, he said. Having objectives and benchmarks were important because it showed what the government wanted to achieve with the lockdown and gave everyone an opportunity to think beyond the lockdown, the Professor said.

“The lockdown has given us breathing space. We must think whether we should revitalize inactive systems or to create new systems to ensure that most people don’t need to travel after the lockdown is lifted. Now people are home and we expect things are going well. There is no planning and when restrictions are lifted, there will be a bit of normalcy for a few days. Then the cases will go up again and we will have to lockdown. This is not a sustainable system,” he said.

The government and most of its detractors were focused on the pros and cons of locking down the country. However, what mattered more was what the country had done to prepare itself to post lockdown context, he said.

“What have we done in the last seven days? Do we have systems in place for people to work and live without coming into contact with each other? At this rate, the social crisis created by COVID-19 will grow rapidly and once we hit a critical point, we will have no options left,” he warned.

MePrimary Health Services Director Dr. Priyantha Atapattu said that the real cases were at least five times more than the reported cases and whether Sri Lanka could return to some sort of normalcy would depend on whether the society could be mobilized to fight the pandemic.

“People are the vector and we have to find a way to keep them home,” he said.


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Heat Index at Caution Level in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Eastern, North-western, Northern and North-central provinces and in Monaragala district

Published

21 hours ago

on

2026/04/1

By

Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 31 March 2026, valid for 01 April 2026.

The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Eastern, North-western, Northern and North-central provinces and in Monaragala district.

The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.

Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.

ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.

Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.

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Urea shortage threatens Yala harvest: Experts

Published

21 hours ago

on

2026/04/1

By

Prof. Marambe

Govt. rations stocks as imports falter

By Ifham Nizam

The government faces a looming fertiliser crisis ahead of the 2026 Yala season, with a sharp shortfall in urea threatening paddy yields and food security.

Experts have warned that the fertiliser shortage will take its toll on the yala harvest.

With just over 100,000 tonnes of fertiliser in stock by early March—barely enough for paddy cultivation alone—and more than half of expected imports either cancelled or delayed, the government has moved to ration supplies through Agrarian Service Centres, based on last year’s consumption.

Leading crop scientist Professor Buddhi Marambe has warned that while rationing is unavoidable, it will reduce productivity. “Even last season we applied below recommended levels. This year, the gap will be worse,” he said.

Authorities are prioritising paddy, followed by maize and tea, as limited stocks are stretched across crops.

However, experts estimate yields could fall by 15–20% if nutrient shortages persist—raising the risk of higher food prices in the months ahead.

The crisis has been worsened by global disruptions, including Gulf conflict affecting fertiliser shipments and precautionary export restrictions by key suppliers, such as China.

Although the Government is pursuing deals with countries like Russia, supplies remain uncertain.

With global urea prices surging and production costs rising, smallholder farmers are expected to be the hardest hit.

“This is a wake-up call,” Prof. Marambe said, urging urgent steps to build buffer stocks and strengthen Sri Lanka’s long-term food security strategy.

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2025 property grab: Court orders JVP to hand back Yakkala office to FSP

Published

21 hours ago

on

2026/04/1

By

FSP's Nuwan Bopage addressing the media

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) spokesman Pubudu Jayagoda says the Gampaha Magistrate’s Court order that the ruling JVP hand back the FSP’s Kirindiwela office, grabbed by a group of JVP politicians on 02 September, 2025, has shown that the government cannot undermine the law.

Jayagoda said that the FSP had been compelled to move the court against the JVP as the Gampaha police refused to intervene due to political pressure. “They probably thought we were going to give up that office. Perhaps, the ruling party felt they could forcibly occupy other FSP offices,” Jayagoda said.

FSP’s Administrative Secretary Chamira Koswatta and trade unions, which operated from the Salmal Garden office, sought the court intervention to confirm the ownership of that building in the FSP. The court initially transferred the building to the police and issued a directive to law enforcement authorities to remove the JVP/NPP from that building.

Among the 20 respondents was Tilvin Silva, General Secretary of the JVP. Those now identified themselves as FSP quit the JVP in 2011 and later formed their own party.

Gampaha Additional Magistrate Shilani Perera on Monday ruled that the legitimate owner was the FSP. The Magistrate ruled that the FSPers had been forced out of that office, illegally.

Jayagoda said that the FSP considered the court ruling a victory for democracy and a devastating blow to the increasingly authoritarian JVP/NPP rule.

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