Sri Lanka government mobilizes public field officials to monitor home quarantine

Sri Lanka government has designed a system of public field officials to monitor the home quarantine. 

So far, the home quarantine was monitored and administered by Public Health Inspectors and the police. People who undergo quarantine lack official support unless the neighbours help them. Previously, the society was afraid of the epidemic and the persons who were under home quarantine had to face harassment in some instances. However, now home quarantine is common and over 100,000 persons are undergoing it at the moment.  

The government has mobilised village-level field officers including Grama Niladhari, Samurdhi Development Officers, Agro Research and Production Officers, Economic Development Officers, Family Health Officers, Public Health Inspectors and police in the village level committees to monitor the home quarantine.

They will have to monitor home quarantine on a roaster basis, according to the government circular and attend to privacy, security and issues like special requirements of elders and persons with disabilities. 

A mentally-handicapped person committed suicide a few weeks ago when he was isolated in the house after his caretaker mother was taken to the hospital because of COVID-19. Public Health Inspectors were blamed for not caring for the requirements of the mentally handicapped person but the officials said they had been overloaded with work. 

The suicide of this mentally-handicapped person in Kahathuduwa and some of the deaths at home could be saved if such a mechanism was available.

Quarantine at home, patients with no symptoms admitted to transit centers in Sri Lanka

Director of Epidemiology Unit, Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said that the quarantine of the associates of the COVID-19 patients will be done at home in future. 

Only the persons like patients with chronic illnesses who cannot undergo home quarantine will be admitted to a quarantine centre.  

The persons under home quarantine will be freed after 14 days following a PCR test. 

The chief epidemiologist further said that the COVID-19 patients who do not show symptoms have no risk would not be admitted to hospitals. They will be kept in transit centres. They will be freed after 14 days without PCR tests, according to international standards. 

Sri Lanka decides to home quarantine COVID-19 patients' associates

Army Commander of Sri Lanka Shavendra Silva said that the associates of COVID-19 patients will be home quarantined since today. 

So far, the government quarantined the associates of COVID-19 persons in military-run quarantine centres. 

By now, the country has reached 90% of the capacity in hospitals for COVID-19 patients. 

Meanwhile, Government Medical Officers' Association proposed the government to treat the patients with less complications at home while admitting only the patients with complications into hospitals.