COVID-19 Spread: It’s time to act wise and be cautious

Sri Lanka is again facing an acute situation after a female supervisor of an apparel factory in Minuwangoda was tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday. The government had immediately imposed what was earlier called police curfew and now known as quarantine curfew in two areas, Divulapitiya and Minuwangoda in order to identify those who have had close contacts with the woman concerned and her friends and relatives and prevent them from mingling with others. By evening on Sunday the curfew was extended to Veyangoda as well.   
The authorities that first announced that the schools and tuition classes in Gampaha District would be closed from Monday, later announced that the second term vacation for all schools in the country will commence on Monday and an order for the closure of tuition classes, pre-schools and international schools was extended to Colombo District as well. Visitors were barred from Negombo and Mahara prisons until further notice.   

Kelaniya University and other higher education institutes in the Gampaha District were closed for one week, pending further decisions after monitoring the situation. It was reported that more than 600 persons had been placed under quarantine on the very first day. State and private buses were advised to take passengers only to their seating capacity.   

There were reasons to be alarmed as it was revealed on Sunday evening that the woman’s 16-year-old daughter has also contracted the virus and the number of infected persons rose to 70 by yesterday morning. The most worrying matter in the detection of this latest COVID-19 cluster, is the fact that the source of it has not been ascertained as yet. And the woman had been diagnosed with the pandemic that has been haunting the whole world for the past ten months, only after her four-day stay in hospital for a respiratory ailment. It is obvious that even within these four days, there must have been ample time for the deadly virus to spread to many people in the hospital, her workplace and her village.

   
Despite there had been several lapses in our mechanism for the prevention of COVID-19 in the past, Sri Lanka has been able to boast to be a highly success story in the world in facing the pandemic that has already engulfed powerful countries such as the United States. When the first case involving a Chinese woman was reported on January 27, authorities did not warn or advise the people on the precautionary measures, in spite of her having travelled to many areas in the country before being tested COVID-19 positive. They even said that it was too early to wear face masks. The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) said that it had told the authorities to monitor the passengers entering the country, as early as mid February, but the process was started only after the first local case was reported on March 11.   

Initially, the passengers from China where the latest version of the coronavirus was detected were allowed to be self-quarantined, whereas the passengers from South Korea, Iran and Italy (and later from other countries as well) sent to state-run quarantine centres. The government first allowed the buses and the trains to take passengers to half of their seating capacity and then to the full seating capacity, but within days, the buses and trains were seen fully packed, while the authorities turning a blind eye, amidst so many media revelations of the situation.   
After all these loopholes, we were fortunate to confine the COVID-19 cases to the restricted places and places under observation such as quarantine centres, until last Sunday. That does not mean that we would be fortunate enough for ever. Sri Lankan authorities must seriously take into account the proximity of our neighbour, India, one of the worst hit countries by the pandemic with the highest death toll in the world. India’s COVID-19 tally stood yesterday at 6,623,815, with more than 100,000 deaths, while the corresponding Tamil Nadu figures were 608,885 and 9653. Illegal travelling and business between Tamil Nadu and Northern Sri Lanka is a well-known fact, though occurring on a low-key scale, for a long time, despite strict surveillance by the Navy. We cannot ignore the situation in India.   

With the COVID-19 cases having been restricted to quarantine centres and the country being opened the safety measures in many places, have been forgotten. Authorities have to act immediately to restore the situation that prevailed few months ago. On the other hand, at a time when the country’s economy was hit hard by the effects of the pandemic, it is not prudent to be panic and take measures disproportionate to the situation. It is the highest foreign exchange earners - apparel industry, foreign employment and tourism - that have been affected most. Education of students has been affected. Hence, the measures must be strictly localized and short-ranged.