Several areas in Colombo placed under isolation
As 649 new COVID-19 case and three fatalities reported
COLOMBO – Parts of Slave Island, Cinnamon Gardens and Wellawatte in Colombo are set to be placed under isolation effective 5:00 a.m. Monday (7), as 649 individuals were confirmed as COVID-19 positive and three deaths were reported on Sunday (6), taking the novel coronavirus fatality tally to 140.
The Department of Government Information in a statement quoting Lt. General Shavendra Silva, head of the National Operations Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO), announced that Hunupitiya Grama Niladhari Division in Slave Island, 60- Watta in Cinnamon Gardens and Kokila Road in Wellawatta Police Divisions in the Colombo district would be designated as isolated areas from 5:00 a.m. Monday, while the designation will be lifted from Bloemendal Police Division and Wijayapura Grama Niladhari Division in Wellampitiya.
However, it said a number of police divisions in the district already placed under isolation will continue to remain so until further notice. These include Modara, Kotahena, Grandpass , Wolfendhal Street, Dam Street, Keselwatta, Maligawatta, Dematagoda, Maradana, Wekanda Grama Niladhari Division in Slave Island, Wanathamulla Grama Niladhari Division in Borella, Salamulla Grama Niladhari Division and Laksanda Sevana Housing Scheme in Wellampitiya, and Randiya Uyana Housing Scheme and the South of Ferguson Road in Mattakkuliya.
It also said that several new areas in the Gampaha district have been designated as isolated, while the designation is to be lifted in the Wattala, Peliyagoda and Kelaniya Police Divisions at 5:00 a.m. Monday. The areas being placed under indefinite isolation effective Monday are the Grama Niladhari Divisons of Kerawalapitiya in Wattala, Hekiththa, Kurunduhena Evariwatta, Welikadamulla, Peliyagodawatta and Peliyagoda Gangabada in Peliyagoda, Meegahawatta, Pattiya– North and Welegoda North in Kiribathgoda.
The statement also quoted Lt. Gen. Silva as saying the areas declared as isolated in other districts will remain isolated until further notice.
Meanwhile, the Department of Government Information in a statement announcing the three deaths reported on Sunday, identified the deceased as three males aged 98, 80 and 71, all of who had died at the Homagama Base Hospital.
It said the 98-year -old from Kotte and the 71-year-old from Maggona had died of Covid-pneumonia, while the 80-year-old from Kahathuduwa had died of kidney failure complicated by COVID-19 infection. Director General of Health Services, Dr. Asela Gunawardena, had confirmed all three deaths to be COVID-19 related, taking the COVID fatality count to 140.
One hundred and twenty seven deaths have now been officially recorded since October 24, following the emergence of a new and more virulent strain of the virus in a new cluster in Minuwangoda, with the apparel factory in the area as the epicentre earlier in the month. Since then the cluster has seen sub-clusters in several parts of the country, with the largest case load reported from the Peliyagoda fish market. As of Sunday, the Minuwangoda/Peliyagoda/Prison cluster had expanded to 24,322 cases,
According to the Department of Government Information daily update, all but one of the 649 confirmations are linked to the Peliyagoda cluster, of which 197 are attributed to the prison cluster. Sunday’s confirmations take Sri Lanka’s novel coronavirus count to 27,877, with 20,460 being deemed recovered and discharged under the new health ministry guidelines and 7,277 receiving treatment at various designated hospitals across the country.
-ENCL