79 arrested for violating quarantine curfew: Police

A total of 79 persons had been arrested for violating the quarantine curfew following an operation carried out yesterday where the quarantine curfew was imposed, Police Media Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said today.

Covid-19 : Owner of Minuwangoda Police canteen tests positive

The owner of the canteen of the Minuwangoda Police Station has tested positive for COVID-19, the Police said.

Pregnant woman at Castle Hospital tests positive for COVID-19

A pregnant woman, who was being treated at the Castle Street Hospital for Women, Colombo, has tested positive for COVID-19, Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) confirmed this morning.

Transmission of virus from recent Covid-19 patients to others extremely high

Transmission of the virus from recent Minuwangoda Covid-19 patients to others is extremely high, as the virus is highly infectious than in previous cases, Chief Epidemiologist Dr Sudath Samaraweera said.

Toll of Covid-19 cases surges to 1,034

The total number of cases from the Minuwangoda cluster stood at 1,034 with 199 employees of the apparel factory, another from Brandix company at Welisara and three close associates, testing positive for COVID - 19 today.

Escaped Covid-19 patient from Ragama Hospital found

The 62-year-old male COVID-19 patient, who escaped from the Colombo North Teaching Hospital in Ragama this morning, was found near the hospital by this afternoon, Hospital Director Dr Shelton Perera said.

Police urged all Minuwangoda Brandix employees to report to specified locations

Police today urged all employees of the Brandix apparel factory in Minuwangoda who are living in the Gampaha area to report to 14 specified locations on or before 4.00 pm today for quarantine process.

A/L, Grade 5 scholarship exams to go ahead as scheduled: Edu. Minister

The government decided that Grade Five Scholarship Examination and Advanced Level Examination will go ahead as scheduled, Education Minister Prof. G.L.Peiris said.

Police curfew imposed in Seeduwa

Police curfew imposed in several police areas in the Gampaha District has been extended towards Seeduwa police area with immediate effect, Police Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said.

Flight arrivals restricted

The flights bringing stranded Sri Lankans home, would be restricted considering the capacity of the quarantine centres and hospitals resulting from the new cluster in the country, chief Epidemiologist Dr.sudath Samaraweera said. He said the flights scheduled for yesterday,would be operated but new flights would be restricted.

Police curfew imposed in 17 police areas

Police curfew has been imposed in several police areas in the Gampaha District, Kelaniya, Ja-Ela and Divulapitiya police areas with immediate effect, the police headquarters announced.

Woman factory worker not origin of existing cluster

The woman factory worker, who tested positive for COVID-19 at the Gampaha Hospital on Sunday, is not the origin of the prevailing cluster but there may have been other positive cases prior to the initial detection at the factory, Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said.

PCR tests on CMC employees today

PCR testing is to be conducted on 250 employees attached to Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) today subsequent to a mother of an employee who was found COVID-19 positive, CMC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ruwan Wijemuni said yesterday.

Tuition teacher arrested with heroin

A special police team in Negombo had arrested three persons including a tuition teacher who were transporting a stock of Kerala ‘ganja’ and heroin worth more than Rs.5 million, in a motor car, on Saturday (26).

13th Covid-19 death reported in Sri Lanka

A 60-year-old male, who returned from Bahrain and being treated at the Chilaw General Hospital, died due to Covid-19 today, reporting the 13th death from the virus infection in Sri Lanka, health authorities confirmed.

India sets global record with single-day rise in coronavirus cases

India on Sunday reported the biggest single-day jump in coronavirus infections of any nation in the COVID-19 pandemic, as the epicentre shifts to the south Asian giant.

Usain Bolt tests positive for coronavirus

World-record sprinter and eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt has tested positive for the coronavirus and is self-isolating at his home in Jamaica after last week celebrating his 34th birthday with a big bash mask-free.

Russia developed ’first’ coronavirus vaccine: Putin

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia had become the first country in the world to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing, a move hailed by Moscow as evidence of its scientific prowess.

58 more Covid-19 patients recover

A total of 58 more Covid-19 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospital increasing total recovered cases to 2,391, the Health Ministry said today.

Staff member at Lankapura D.S. Office tests positive for COVID-19

The Lankapura Divisional Secretariat office in Pollonnaruwa has been temporarily closed from today (30) after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, Pollonnaruwa Regional Director of Health Services Dr. W. K. W. S. Kumarawansa said.

152 including students quarantined after teacher tests positive with COVID-19

At least 152 people including students had been subjected to quarantine after they are alleged to have maintained close links with a physics teacher of a semi-government school at Gamapaha today, Gampaha Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Subash Subasinghe said.

COVID-19: WHO reports record single-day global increase in cases

The number of new cases of coronavirus rose by almost 260,000 in 24 hours - the largest single-day increase since the pandemic began, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday.

SL controlled pandemic better than more resourced countries: WHO

Sri Lanka has been able to control the COVID-19 pandemic more effectively even with modest means than more resourced countries, World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Representative Dr. Razia Pendse said.

PHIs withdraw from COVID-19 duties over Minister’s negative comment

The Public Health Inspectors Union of Sri Lanka (PHIUSL) said its members have withdrawn from Covid-19 prevention duties with effect from 12.30 pm today.

No need to panic: PM

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday that there was no need to get unnecessarily scared or panic about the spread of Covid-19 in Sri Lanka as things were under control.

COVID-19 kills seven more Lankan migrant workers

Seven more Sri Lankan migrant workers in Middle Eastern countries have died due to COVID-19 within last week increasing the death toll to 42, the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) told the Daily Mirror today.

Kandakadu situation under control, says Army Chief

While saying Covid-19 situation at the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre had been brought under control, Army Commander Shavendra Silva stressed the need to wear face masks when going outdoors.

Adherence to health guidelines at work: Prez says heads are accountable

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday said that the heads of both government and private entities are accountable for adhering to health guidelines in their organizations in the wake of current spike in COVID 19 cases.

Covid-19 cases in Sri Lanka surge to 2,663

The Covid-19 cases in Sri Lanka climbed to 2,663 as of 8.15 pm today with the identification of 17 more cases, the Epidemiology Unit said.

Melsta Hospitals Ragama closed after GM tests positive for COVID-19

Melsta Hospitals Ragama has been closed after its General Manager (GM), who had conducted lectures at the Kandakadu Rehabilitation Centre, was tested positive for COVID-19, police said.