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SL facing just beginning of Delta crisis – expert

Published

5 years ago

2021/08/28

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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PM meets Sri Lankan community living in London

Published

23 mins ago

2026/05/21

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, who is currently on an official visit to the United Kingdom, met with members of the Sri Lankan community living in London on Wednesday [20th] and engaged in cordial discussions.

Despite the event being held on a weekday, it was notable that nearly one thousand Sri Lankans representing the Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim communities attended with great enthusiasm.

Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that despite natural disasters and international crises, the present government has succeeded in stabilizing the country’s economy while providing relief to the people. She further noted that Sri Lanka’s political culture has now undergone a positive transformation that is irreversible.

Minister of Women and Child Affairs Saroja Paulraj, addressing the event, stated that a governance system has now been established in the country where all communities are treated equally and the benefits of economic development are shared fairly among all citizens.

Moving away from the traditional method of political gatherings, the event also provided an open platform for members of the Sri Lankan community to directly raise questions and express their views to the Prime Minister and the Minister.

Commenting on the organization of the event, the organizing committee stated that all expenses, including dinner, were borne by the participants themselves. The organizers further remarked that it is unsurprising that opposition groups, accustomed to organizing such events through the misuse of public funds, appear unsettled by this transparent process.

The occasion was attended by the Minister of Women and Child Affairs Saroja Paulraj and Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Nimal Senadheera.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

Latest News

Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya meets Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom

Published

10 hours ago

2026/05/21

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya currently undertaking an official visit to London, United Kingdom, to participate in the 43rd Commonwealth of Learning (COL) Board of Governors Meeting 2026 held a bilateral meeting with the Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom ON Wednesday [20]. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Nimal Senadheera, along with officials from the Sri Lankan High Commission.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister conveyed Sri Lanka’s appreciation to the United Kingdom for the support extended in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwa, including ongoing rebuilding and recovery assistance. The Prime Minister also commended the United Kingdom’s support in facilitating increased bilateral trade and exports for Sri Lanka.

The Prime Minister briefed the UK delegation on Sri Lanka’s recent economic developments and policy priorities, the Government’s commitment to advancing human rights and reconciliation, as well as Sri Lanka’s positive growth trajectory.

The two sides also exchanged views on current global geopolitical developments, challenges in the energy sector, and the importance of enhancing regional connectivity and long-term energy security.

Both sides also emphasised the importance of strengthening structured academic mobility frameworks while ensuring fairness, clarity, and integrity within migration systems.

They also reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries in areas of mutual interest.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

News

Suspects involved in sureties controversy granted bail

Published

16 hours ago

2026/05/21

Sahan Weerasooriya

Kapila Chandrasena

Airbus bribe case:

Colombo Additional Magistrate Lahiru Silva yesterday (20) granted bail to Mohamed Riswan and Mohamed Irshan, who allegedly received money to stand as sureties for the late former SriLankan Airlines CEO, Kapila Chandrasena. They were identified as residents of Sanchi Arachchi Watta, situated next to the Hulftsdorp court complex.

Chandrasena was found dead at his brother-in-law, Aravinda De Silva’s residence, at No. 38, Pedris Road, Kollupitiya, on 8 May.

The Magistrate also granted bail to B. A. Tissa and Perumal Ganesh, who arranged for Riswan and Irshan to stand as sureties for Chandrasena, who is under investigation for allegedly receiving a USD 2 million bribe through his wife to facilitate an Airbus deal. They, too, residents of Sanchi Arachchi Watta, were granted bail on two personal bail of Rs. 500,000 each.

Airbus had to pay USD 4 billion in penalties after admitting it had paid huge bribes to secure contracts in 20 countries. Sri Lanka is among them.

The Magistrate directed that the Grama Niladhari should certify their residence and the relevant certificates submitted to court and to establish the financial status of those who stood as sureties for the four persons.

The court was told that Mohamed Riswan and Mohamed Irshan obtained 17 Grama Niladhari certificates from January till May 2026. On the basis of a statement recorded from Keselwatta Grama Niladhari S. Nilantha Silva police informed court that the first suspect had obtained 10 certificates and the second person seven.

Fourth suspect Ganesh had first met those who stood as sureties, on 05 May, in the court premises and struck the deal. Crime OIC of Keselwatta Police, Sub Inspector K.W.D. Anuruddha, told court that Mohamed Riswan, Mohamed Irshan and B. A. Tissa hadn’t even known who Chandrasena was and were not related to him in anyway, according to investigations. Police requested that the four persons be further remanded.

The Magistrate granted them bail and set the next hearing for 25 June.

Legal sources said that such illegal practices were rampant, and in this particular case the Court Registrar should have been able to see that the sureties were very much unlikely to be relatives of Chandrasena.

By Shamindra Ferdinando