Coronavirus Updates

Sri Lanka Coronavirus cases found so far linked to Minuwangoda cluster: Army chief

ECONOMYNEXT – All Coronavirus cases found from in recent days have been linked to the Minuwangoda Covid-19 cluster, with some third levels contacts also turning up, Army Chief Shavendra Silva has said.

On Sunday, Sri Lanka confirmed 121 new cases taking the total in the cluster to 1307, the state information office said.

Of the total 1,036 were staff members of a Brandix apparel factory in Minuwangoda and 231 were family members or contacts, General Silva said.

“When they are first discovered the patients say they do not have any link to anyone in the cluster,” General Silva told Sri Lanka’s privately-run Derana Television.

“But when we investigate, we find the links.”

General Silva said some of the contacts were second level contacts while there were also a few third level contacts. The existence of third level contacts point to the existence of a cluster for a longer period.

He had earlier said the infection was suspected to have been present at the Minuwangoda factory from around September 23 based on reports of sick workers, and there was possibility of a person being sick as far back as the September 13.

The source of the cluster had so far not been found. Authorities are also planning to revise guidelines on airline crew, he said.

General Silva said most of the new confirmed cases are now coming from those in quarantine.

Sri Lanka’s practice of sending first contacts for home quarantine led to some confirmed patients missing from the factory.

Almost all of them have now been found, authorities said.

On Sunday over 120 new cases were confirmed taking the total case in the country to 4,752 from 4,628 a day earlier.

Each day nearly 5000 tests a day are being done, officials have said.

Tests are also being conducted at export processing zones officials said. In Katunayake export zone around a dozen persons have been found, reports said.

Sri Lanka has around 10,250 persons in quarantine and the military is ready to increase the capacity, General Silva had said.

Sri Lanka has halted the repatriation of expatriate Sri Lankans to expand quarantine capacity.

On Sunday two areas in Mannar in the Northwest was locked down after the discovery of five cases.

Curfew is in a number of areas in the Gamapaha district at the epicenter of the cluster.

Sri Lanka is also bringing laws with severe punishment of a prison term and 10,000 rupees, Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said. (Colombo/Oct12/2020)

Tracing all Brandix contacts made difficult by quarantine restrictions: Police

ECONOMYNEXT – Quarantine restrictions have made tracing all contacts of the growing Brandix COVID-19 cluster difficult, police spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said.

Rohana told the privately owned Derana TV today that health workers could not obtain statements from all 1,552 Brandix workers who are currently either in hospital or quarantine due to strict quarantine regulations, complicating the task of contact tracing.

However, once the 28-day quarantine period is over, he said, authorities will obtain the required information including contact details as well as any precautionary measures followed at the Brandix apparel factory in Minuwangoda.

In the interview, Rohana made an open appeal to close associates of the identified Brandix staffers who are in quarantine or hospital to “think about the country” and inform the police if they had come into contact with anyone working at the factory.

The police spokesman also said that the authorities have investigated a controversial flight reportedly charted by Brandix that arrived from Visakhapatnam, India on September 22, carrying Sri Lankan workers at a Brandix factory in Visakhapatnam.

Out of 60 scheduled passengers, said Rohana, only 48 – 39 males and 9 females – had arrived. The group had also included four children.

The Sri Lanka Army had directed all of the arrivals to a hotel in Kosgoda for a 14-day quarantine that ended on October 6, he said.

“They had taken PCR tests before departure in India, on arrival and 14 days after arrival. They are currently undergoing self-quarantine in their homes. They have no connection to this,” he said.

Meanwhile, two bands that are said to have performed for the workers have also been directed to quarantine centres, and subsequent PCR tests on the bands have revealed no connection to the cluster, said Rohana.

He added that according to statements taken from the workers, COVID-19 symptoms were seen in some workers on September 18,19 and 20 even before the flight arrived on September 22 and before the bands played on September 26 and 27. (Colombo/Oct12/2020)

As of today...

Coronavirus Cases:
38,083,666

Deaths:
1,086,044

Recovered:
28,628,473

275,424 new cases world wide slightely lower than previous day.

3,761 more deaths lower than previous 24 hours.

India (54,265), USA (45,791) & UK (13,972) are the three countries with highest number of new cases that drives the new cases.

India (710), Argentina (318) & USA (316) were the countries with highest new deaths for last 24 hours.

Six Brandix head office staffers test positive for COVID-19

ECONOMYNEXT – Six staff members at the Brandix head office in Colombo 03 tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Monday (12), the National Operations Centre for the Prevention of COVID-19 (NOCPOC) said.

The numbers had been already factored into this morning’s COVID-19 patient count, NOCPOC said.

Sri Lanka reported 92 new COVID-19 patients over a 24-hour period that ended at 6 am today (13). Out of the 92, two were foreign returnees from Turkey and the rest of the 90 were close contacts of the Minuwangoda Brandix cluster plus the six patients from it’s head office. So far, there are 1,514 active cases in the country.

Meanwhile, NOCPOC spokesman Col Vijitha Hettiarchchi said six retail shops in Borella, Colombo 08, have been closed after it was discovered that a COVID-19 patient found at the Lady Ridgeway children’s hospital had visited the shops.

Hettiarachchi further said the Bank of Ceylon Moratuwa branch was closed for sanitation after a COVID-19 patient was found who was a close contact of the Brandix cluster.

Hettiarachchi said no positive cases have been found so far today. However more than 1,800 PCR tests results have yet to come.

“These results take about three days to come due to the number of PCR tests that are being conducted at the moment,” Hettiarachchi said.

“We’ll be having a meeting today to discuss how to accelerate the process in order to get these results quickly, because by the time we get them there can be new cases to identify,” he added. (Colombo/Oct13/2020)

As of now...

Coronavirus Cases:
38,353,846

Deaths:
1,090,756

Recovered:
28,846,587

313,286 new cases world wide higher than previous day.

5,008 more deaths higher than previous 24 hours.

India (63,517), USA (51,534) & UK (17,234) are the three countries with highest number of new cases that drives the new cases.

USA (843), India (723), Argentina (386) were the countries with highest new deaths for last 24 hours.

As of now...

Coronavirus Cases:
38,746,513

Deaths:
1,096,881

Recovered:
29,126,752

381,466 new cases world wide higher than all the previous times and the highest per day recorded so far in the world !

6,083 more deaths higher than previous 24 hours.

India (67,988), USA (59,693) & Brazil (26,675) are the three countries with highest number of new cases that drives the new cases.

USA (970), Brazil (716), India (694) were the countries with highest new deaths for last 24 hours.

Sri Lanka’s Katunayake Coronavirus curfew to contain Covid-19 infections from factories

Thursday October 15, 2020 07:53
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka has imposed a Coronavirus curfew in Katunayake police area to reduce the chances of Covid-19 spreading from factories to the general population, authorities have said.

Sri Lanka’s Army Chief Shavendra Silva said that Katunayake Free Trade Zone workers could continue to go to work using their workplace identifications with the curfew coming into effect from 0500hours on October 15.

Health officials have been testing workers in factories in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone and other areas and taking out infected persons.

On October 15, Sri Lanka found 130 new Covid-19 infected workers with 113 coming from inside quarantine centres and 108 other contacts.

“The curfew has been imposed to stop the spread of Coronavirus under the direction of the Director General of Health Services,” Deputy Inspector General Ajith Rohana told Sri Lanka’s Derana Television.

“If this area was completely open with no curfew these workers can go to shops, use public transport and there is a higher risk of spreading the disease to others.



“The rationale is that factory staff will work inside with the necessary health rules and if there is an infection the danger of spreading the disease to others is reduced.”

Sri Lanka has imposed Coronavirus curfews in 19 police districts with the Katunayake curfew coming into effect from 0500 hours on October 15.

Sri Lanka has found at least 50 positive workers in factories, a spokesman for Sri Lanka’s anti-Coronavirus task force has said.

Attendance had been dropping at many of the factories and there were concerns on meeting export orders, Sri Lanka’s Export Development Board head had said.

Sri Lanka’s latest cluster which started at an apparel factory in Minuwangoda climbed to 1,721 with the 130 new infections on October 14, taking the total infections to 5,170.

Media reports said factories in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone had got infected from boarding places which were shared with workers from Minuwangoda area.

Clusters have been found in Next Manufacturing, Chief Way Katunayake as well as a number of other factories.

DIG Rohana said airline workers and also staff of companies involved in cargo operations could go to work and drive through the area using their staff identifications. (Colombo/Oct15/2020)

As of now...

Coronavirus Cases:
39,175,466

Deaths:
1,102,941

Recovered:
29,378,743

399,093 new cases world wide higher than all the previous times and the highest per day recorded so far in the world !

6,113 more deaths higher than previous 24 hours.

USA (66,129), India (60,439) & France (30,621) are the three countries with highest number of new cases that drives the new cases.

USA (874), India (835) & Brazil (734) were the countries with highest new deaths for last 24 hours.

From today you can be jailed or fined for breaking Covid prevention guidelines

ECONOMYNEXT-The Health Department’s guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid 19 has become law through regulations Gazetted by the Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi, her ministry announced today.

From now on all the guidelines are enforceable by law, and violators can be fined or imprisoned, Wanniarachchi said in a statement issued to media a short while ago.

She said that under the new gazette wearing a face mask and maintaining social distancing in public places has been made compulsory.

“The Gazette will turn all the procedures that should be followed in public places, business places and workplaces to prevent and control COVID-19 into laws,” she added.

The statement indicates some of the procedures that should be followed in businesses and workplaces which have been made into laws through the new gazette.

Accordingly, in all establishments, it has been made compulsory to wear a face mask, wash the hands, check the temperatures, and maintain a record of everyone who enters the business or the workplace.

The gazette also says the business or workplace should not admit any more than a prescribed number of people into the building at a given time.

Moreover, the Health Minister said that the new gazette will further strengthen the laws which already existed about restricting movements, quarantine and transportation.

The violators of the regulations that will be issued in the new gazette will be subjected to fines that is not less than Rs 10,000 or 6-month imprisonment or both.

https://economynext.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Covid-19-Regulations-Gazette.pdf

As of now...

Coronavirus Cases:
39,573,043

Deaths:
1,109,070

Recovered:
29,653,434

412,917 new cases world wide crossing 400,000 for the first time in the history of covid 19 and who tell that the world has reached the peak of covid 19 now !!!

6,185 more deaths higher than previous 24 hours.

USA (71,687), India (65,126) & Brazil (30,574) are the three countries with highest number of new cases that drives the new cases.

USA (928), India (886) & Brazil (716) were the countries with highest new deaths for last 24 hours.

Laying the Foundations for a Resilient Recovery.

As of now crossing 40mn total infections...

Coronavirus Cases:
40,092,245

Deaths:
1,116,213

Recovered:
29,976,719

372,552 new cases world wide lower than previous day's the highest count.

5,567 more deaths lower than previous 24 hours.

India (62,092), USA (54,232) & France (32,427) are the three countries with highest number of new cases that drives the new cases.

India (1,032), USA (638) & Brazil (461) were the countries with highest new deaths for last 24 hours.

Sri Lanka locksdown four villages in Matugama after Covid-19 mini-cluster, 61 new Coronavirus cases

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka has locked down four areas in Matugama as a mini-cluster of infections were found while the total infections with 61 new confirmed cases being found on October 18, authorities said.

The total confirmed in the current cluster had gone up to 2,075.

Ovitigala, Badugama, Badugma Nawa Janapadaya in the Matugama Divisional Secretariat had been isolated after 17 patients were confirmed, the Sri Lanka’s Covid control centre said.

Reports said the confirmed persons included a monk and four student monks.

In Negombo a shopping complex had been shutdown after a trader and his wife were confirmed.

A nurse at a Hirdramani group apparel factory in Kahathuduwa was also confirmed. Authorities said 200 PCR samples were taken.

Three family members of an NDB Branch worker was also confirmed in Arauwala, Pannnipitiya.

Wards 33, 60 and 03 at the National Hospital in Colombo was closed after a patient from Ja-Ela who was treated there had been confirmed with Covid-19.

In Gampola, a carpenter was confirmed with Coronavirus. He had worked at a temple in Veyangoda, an area which is now under Coronavirus curfew, reports said.

The government will pay an 5000 rupees to each family in areas under Coronavirus curfew.

In Kuliyapitiya several villages had been locked down after confirmed patients who had attended a Church service had been found.

As of now...

Coronavirus Cases:
40,281,080

Deaths:
1,118,326

Recovered:
30,116,228

324,927 new cases world wide lower than previous day's the highest count.

3,971 more deaths lower than previous 24 hours.

India (55,511), USA (44,941) & France (29,837) are the three countries with highest number of new cases that drives the new cases.

India (578), USA (448) & Mexico (355) were the countries with highest new deaths for last 24 hours.

As of now...

Coronavirus Cases:
40,651,472

Deaths:
1,122,997

Recovered:
30,356,801

338,379 new cases world wide marginally lower than previous day's the highest count.

4,394 more deaths higher than previous 24 hours.

USA (57,327), India (46,498) & UK (18,804) are the three countries with highest number of new cases that drives the new cases.

India (594), Argentina (449) & USA (442) were the countries with highest new deaths for last 24 hours.

As of today...

Coronavirus Cases:
41,093,297

Deaths:
1,130,496

Recovered:
30,655,537

381,675 new cases world wide sharply higher than previous day's count.

6,142 more deaths significantly higher than previous 24 hours.

USA (61,429), India (54,422) & Brazil (23,690) are the three countries with highest number of new cases that drives the new cases.

USA (917), India (714) & Brazil (662) were the countries with highest new deaths for last 24 hours.