Health officials battle to bring runaway Covid-19 under control

With imposition of travel restrictions

By Suresh Perera

With travel restrictions in place to stem the alarming tide of the Covid-19 pandemic, health officials expressed optimism of pinning down the transmission of the deadly virus to a manageable level if the public adhered to stipulated preventive guidelines.

In the backdrop of overwhelmed medical facilities as positive case numbers continued to spike after the national New Year festivities, the government earlier imposed an inter-provincial travel ban before opting for a three-day country-wide prohibition on public movement. Only essential services have been allowed to operate.

The travel restrictions are expected to end at 4.00 am on Monday (17) after an overall evaluation of the situation, they said.

With 892 deaths, the number of patients who tested positive stood at 135,796 as at May 13.

The Health Ministry said 1,174 persons tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday thereby increasing Wednesday’s tally to 2,249.

Health officials said that 108,802 patients have so far recovered and discharged from hospitals.

The police will continue to come down hard on persons unmasked or not maintaining the specified physical distance in keeping with mandatory health regulations after the travel restrictions are eased.

All events and public gatherings remain banned as part of precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus.

Around 100 areas are already under isolation following the emergence of sub clusters.