Scientific strategy devised to combat surging Covid-19 in SL

The importance of a scientific approach to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, as a strain of the virus detected in Indonesia has already been identified in Sri Lanka as well, has been highlighted by two eminent medical experts.

The scientific strategy to combat the raging virus in Sri Lanka has been devised by Professor Malik Peiris of the School of Public Health, University of Hong Kong and Prof. Kamani Mendis, a former malaria expert at the World Health Organization (WHO).

The strategy, published after discussions with several epidemiology and disease control experts, warns that the new strain of the virus was spreading faster than previous Covid-19 variants that affected the country.

The capacity of the health system to manage Covid-19 patients has already been exceeded, resulting in inevitable consequences of more avoidable deaths, it cautioned.

Small-area isolations, prohibiting inter-provincial travel, intermittent and short period lockdowns together with mild restrictions on human movement will not arrest this wave of the epidemic, it pointed out.

While introducing different approaches, the experts have also outlined the economic impact of implementing these moves.

The recommendations are:

* All essential services to be functional.

* A minimum number of grocery stores and pharmacies to remain open in every district.

* A limited number of vegetable, fruit and fish/meat, bakery and other food delivery vehicles permitted to operate on the basis of permits

* Restaurants allowed to prepare food for delivery on order, but not for in-house dining.

* Government departments deemed essential must keep an office open for a few hours per day and function with a skeleton staff on a roster basis.

* Any organization or enterprise may allow its employees to work from home.

* A person can leave home only for health need or any other emergency, or to purchase food supplies, but only one person can leave home at any time for this purpose.

* Gatherings of more than four people to be prohibited.

* Outdoor agricultural work allowed to continue.