• If people ignore basic health guidelines, the situation could be dreadful after the festive season

By Sheain Fernandopulle  

As the festive season is just around the corner, the Health authorities warned people to be vigilant given the situation where protests and other gatherings are held, creating room for basic health rules to go for a toss.  

Deputy Director-General of Health Services Dr Hemantha Herath said, although the number of daily COVID-19 cases is on the decline, a surge in cases could occur at any time if people continued to violate health practices when organising public gatherings.  

“People must be feeling more relaxed and comfortable, as the numbers do not showcase an alarming situation. However, it does not mean that the threat has vanished,” he stressed.  
“Besides, people are eagerly waiting to celebrate the upcoming festive season with a lot of hopes.  

However, if they ignore the basic health guidelines, the COVID situation could be dreadful after the festive season,” he warned.  

Thus, Dr Herath urged people, especially those organising and participating in protests and other public gatherings to be more careful in following the health rules without leading to a spike in COVID cases.