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By Sandun A Jayasekera
Chief of Defence Staff and Army Commander, Lt. General Shavendra Silva said yesterday people must not panic at the news that two military personnel tested positive to the COVID-19 infection on Monday.
He said the health authorities were confident that they had not spread the disease to any outsiders and that there would be no clusters such at what happened at the Welisara Navy Camp. Director General Health Services (DGHS) Dr. Anil Jasinghe said among the 15, tested positive to Covid-19 bringing the toll to 1,648 yesterday, were four Sri Lankan returnees from Bangladesh, two each were sailors and army privates and one each were returnees from Indonesia and Belarus. He said the intervel between flights bringing stranded Sri Lankans back home had been expanded. SriLankan flights will only be allowed to take off from a foreign airport after the passengers from the previous flight were fully cleared and sent to quarantine centres.
Dr. Jasinghe said 1,066 PCR tests were carried out within the 24 hours ending at 6.00 am yesterday. Meanwhile, 11,428 people have left the 44 quarantine centres while 5,108 still remain under quarantine.
As of yesterday, the number of those who had recovered stood at 823 while 811 were under hospital treatment. Among those tested positive to the viral infection, 800 were sailors and their associates while 444 were returnees from foreign countries.