There is always a possibility of emerging new COVID clusters in the country and thus, the risk of the virus spreading in society still exists, Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera emphasized.

He told media that Sri Lanka reports around 100 COVID cases daily and added the number could always spike due to the negligence of people.

“As we are approaching the Sinhala & Tamil New Year celebration, COVID-19 could spread in the areas where people gather in large numbers and places where people find it difficult to maintain social distance.

“Therefore, it is of utmost importance that people restrict their movement ahead of the festive season and strictly follow health guidelines when venturing outside,” he underlined.

He said if people act abiding by the health rules, the country could soon return to complete normalcy and experience relief in terms COVID-19 situation.

Commenting on the Sinopharm COVID vaccine, the Epidemiology Chief said the expert committee of the Health Ministry is yet to receive more data on the vaccine, though they had already obtained some.

“The committee will grant the approval to the vaccine once the relevant data are properly analysed,” he added. (Sheain Fernandopulle)