No complete lockdown of Western Province, public urged not to panic: Army Commander

The Western Province will not come under a complete lockdown during the festive season but areas where patients are reported will come under isolation till the situation is brought under control, Army Commander, Lt. General Shavendra Silva told Daily Mirror yesterday.

Following the isolation declared in the Hunupitiya Grama Niladhari Division of Slave Island, 60 Watta in the Cinnamon Gardens Police area and Kokila Road in Wellawatta from today morning, Silva said these areas had been put under a lockdown due to patients being reported and people in that area living in a congested environment.

He urged people in Colombo not to panic but to continue strictly adhering to the health guidelines.

“The situation is not out of control but it is always good to take all precautionary measures ,”silva said.

“If we find places where there are patients and where people are living in close proximity to each other, we will isolate those areas immediately to prevent further spread,” Silva added.

Authorities have now decided to isolate specific identified areas rather than a complete lockdown of entire police areas. Health authorities expect the number of patients to decrease by next week and the situation to come under control by the end of the month. However this will depend on the behaviour of the public, health officials said. PCR testing is also ongoing across the country to identify any new clusters.

If we find places where there are patients and where people are living in close proximity to each other, we will isolate those areas immediately to prevent further spread

With the festive season just days away, the Army Chief said they will review the situation next week and will decide if additional health guidelines have to be imposed to prevent public gathering unnecessarily.

However the entire Western province will not come under a lockdown, but areas where patients are reported will be immediately isolated. (JAMILA HUSAIN)