How Sri Lanka better managed COVID-19 - EDITORIAL

By yesterday (April 5) at least 1,202,609 persons worldwide had tested coronavirus or Covid-19 positive and 64,732 had died of the dreaded disease.

’’We must abandon the idea of elections anytime soon’’- Sumanthiran

Former Jaffna District Parliamentarian and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Spokesman M. A. Sumanthiran PC engaged in an informative conversation with the “Daily Mirror”...

COVID-19: Protect the protectors

Going by some of the malicious comments posted by a section of society on social media over the spread of COVID-19, they seem to believe rashness is a legacy of a particular community. If one compiles a list of causes of the rapid worldwide spread of the pandemic, recklessness on part of the people in every country might be the first among them.

Capitalism has failed; world needs a new order

Psychologists and social analysts say the world will not be the same again in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic which by noon yesterday had afflicted more than 1,017,000 people with the death toll being more than 53,200 and with the positive factor being that more than 213,200 people have recovered.

We can survive and with a lot less! - EDITORIAL

Long queues seen at pharmacies on Thursday (April 2) reminded us that life is short and could become terribly shorter.

Corona pandemic: Lessons from war zone paradoxes

Normalcy can be defined as a state where we enjoy freedom from fear and hunger. With the new coronavirus pandemic spreading faster than virologists could imagine....

Constitutional conundrum in conducting polls

With the prolonged restriction of people’s movements through measures such as curfew for the containment of the COVID-19 disease, concern is raised regarding the unforeseeable socio- economic and political implications of such steps. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa issued a proclamation at the beginning of March declaring a snap general election. It was a time when the present crisis had not started raising its head in the country.

Politics during a crisis Can COVID-19 change this system?

There are many positives that have come about due to the present Coronavirus despite there being no signs of the day we can move about freely again. One of those good signs is that the president of the country has got closer to the people thanks to the efforts he had taken to marshall the employees of serving his ‘force’.

Act responsibly to overcome this crisis

Sri Lanka’s Health Ministry has reported that three more Covid-19 patients had recovered from the infection and was discharged from the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) in Angoda bringing the number of those discharged to 14 while 20 new patients were detected during the past 24 hours bringing the number of those tested positive to the COVID-19 infection to 142.

Every citizen has to be a ‘suwaviruwa’

Who won the battle against terrorism? The easy answer: ‘Ranaviruwo’. Yes, the men and women who battled, who put lives on the line and lost them or were maimed for life, played the most important role, without doubt.

COVID-19: Are we missing a life lesson here?

The growing concerns about the Coronavirus Pandemic and the irresponsible manner in which some citizens have behaved have given us a window to check out the mentality of the islanders in general.

NEVER ENOUGH!

In our world today, enough is never enough!!! So many reasons for lack of satisfaction – mainly due to coveting what other people have, it is sadly a very deadly trend in Sri Lanka...

When the due process of law is in the ICU, militarization in Vaccination…

A time of crisis with the spectre of a common enemy, real or imagined, gives the ideal opportunity to roll up civil liberties to authorities.

If we did not have our rice stocks..... - EDITORIAL

Calamities and crises have the ability to add rationality and sanity to otherwise capricious human mind. They awaken men to the reality...

Let’s cope with the restrictions to curb COVID-19

The curfew imposed to maintain social distancing or physical distancing to curb the spread of COVID-19, the latest version of the disease caused by the coronavirus family has started to bite the entire nation, irrespective of race, religion or political party the people belong to. The economy made up of large scale corporations to that of those doing odd jobs have been hard hit.

Seeking accurate info during a plague

We have seen people behave in various ways amidst the COVID-19 situation. On one extreme are those who think this is an over-reaction, generally considering the prevailing movement restrictions a nuisance to be subverted. On the other are those in high levels of distress getting ready for impending doom. This is a situation that is constantly evolving. Undoubtedly, this creates a sense of uncertainty and confusion about what to do and not. There

Too much religion is making it hard to fight the pandemic

At times of personal and collective tragedy, people find solace in religion; some seek divine blessings, others ponder the impermanence of the life, many others do both. Invocation of religion could be just symbolic for more earthly folks, but it could also be cathartic to some others. Now, a God-defying pandemic is re

Democracy in crisis: avoiding dictatorship

The President on March 2, 2020 by Gazette Extraordinary No. 2165/8 legitimately dissolved Parliament from midnight and fixed April 25, 2020 as the date for the General Election. While the proclamation was legal, it was poorly thought out because it was made well after the COVID-19 outbreak had begun. Passengers at many international airports like Kuwait were being tested for fever before letting them ent

COVID-19, vulnerability and false certainties - EDITORIAL

On March 3, 2020, coronavirus or COVID-19 made its first appearance in Sri Lanka when a foreign national tested coronavirus positive.

Cyber trauma is very real

Most of us are now forced to work from home. This is nothing new, at least to some of us, who are used to working from anywhere at any time.

Mirusuvil  Massacre: Accused pardoned; no reparations for victims’ families, say rights groups

Twenty two movements working on issues relating to civic rights, human rights, women’s rights, and a journalist activist organisation have jointly issued a statement expressing....

Is Sri Lanka ready for Covid-19 effect?

This analysis focuses not on the COVID-19, but on its effect, the author wishes to address a significant thinking gap that is emerging whilst policy makers locally and globally are battling the virus and its immediate aftereffects.

‘Flattening the curve’ needs well-networked local interventions

One of the best explanations on COVID-19 I heard was by Dr. Sumedha Jayasena, a Sri Lankan bio-technologist resident in California. His explanation was scientific and covered all aspects of the virus

WHO warns smokers face higher risk of COVID-19

It has been documented that smokers incur a two to four fold increased risk of invasive pneumococcal lung disease, a disease associated with high mortality. The influenza risk is two-fold higher and more severe in smokers compared to nonsmokers. In the case of tuberculosis, smokers have a two-fold increased risk of contracting the infection and a four-fold increased mortality.

Covid pandemic: We work together or sink together

In times of crisis, selfishness exacerbates the disaster. A person cannot stand guard to the money he has stacked in a secret room when the fire is engulfing him from all sides or the flood water level is rising. He should leave everything and try to save his life. At a time when the coronavirus pandemic is making science and knowledge appear primitive and pathetically and pathologically inadequate, the rich nations’ focus should not be on measur

Can Sri Lanka survive a ‘Cassandra Crossing’?

The present COVID-19 pandemic affecting Sri Lanka among other countries draws parallels with the disaster thriller made in 1976 titled ‘The Cassandra Crossing.’

To all healthcare providers we say, ‘Thank You’

The number of COVID-19 patients In Sri Lanka had increased to 101 as of Tuesday with the possibility of these numbers increasing by the time this edition is uploaded into the system.

Prioritise the poor and vulnerable!

Ignorance breeds fear. Fear nudges emotion to trump reason. The world didn’t know about Corvid-19 a few months ago. The world still knows very little. The little that is known is scary.

One month preparedness to contain coronavirus

As the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, engulfs the world with its cruel tentacles, governments all over are in a dilemma on how to best deal with it. It is a reasonable dilemma because no government in the world has dealt with a health crisis of this magnitude in recent history. Sri Lanka is no exception.

Is Taiwan’s impressive response to COVID-19 possible in Sri Lanka?

Taiwan has never forgotten the nightmare of a 2003 epidemic - SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) which devastated many East Asian metropolises. In its wake, Taiwan along with few others doubled down on preparing for any future crisis.