Colombo Chief Medical Officer of Health Ruwan Wijayamuni said to Sinhala daily Lankadeepa that 98 out of 348 random tests of PCR in Colombo city are positive.
The patients were identified from northern city areas like Mahawatta, Grandpass, Modara and Mattakkuliya.
He said that reports of about 300 more random tests are to be received.
937 of 5,267 PCR tests of randomly selected persons in Colombo proved positive on 26th October also.
Table salt price in Sri Lanka has sharply risen, in addition to the other commodities, the consumers complain.
Market sources say that the price of a 50kg bag crystal salt has gone up from Rs. 675 to Rs. 950.
Ministry of Fisheries sources says that the price has gone up due to the increased use of salt for preserving fish. The price of fish has dropped sharply since the consumers are afraid to eat fish due to the spread of COVID-19 in the country's main fish market, Peliyagoda and several fisheries harbours.
However, health officials advise the consumers that well-cooked fish cannot spread COVID-19.
A large number of fish vendors and fishermen have lost livelihood due to the prevailing situation.
Sri Lanka's salt industry is hit by rains caused by climate change and shortage of labour, industry sources say. The island imports salt and the main supplier is China.
He will discuss with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardane also. The duo is expected to hold a press conference later. The visit of the US State Secretary takes place on an invitation of the Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs, the government says. The aim of the tour is for strengthening the multiple bilateral relations.
The cabinet spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said at the cabinet press briefing that the government will not sign SOFA and ACSA agreements with the US.
Media reported President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had told to the cabinet that US State Secretary would not discuss the Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement.
(Photo: US state Secretary Mike Pompeo at Katunayaka airport)
Homagama, Moratuwa, Panadura North and Panadura South have been included anew to the police areas of Sri Lanka which are under quarantine curfew. Accordingly, over 60 police areas are under quarantine curfew now.
The government isolated Hatton town also yesterday due to spread of COVID-19.
The number of COVID-19 patients diagnosed yesterday was 457 and three deaths occurred during the day.
Meanwhile, the media reported yesterday the President had told at the cabinet meeting that the country would not be shut down due to COVID-19 spread. Instead, travel restrictions would be imposed in areas the disease is spread more.
Meanwhile, the people in locked down and isolated areas lament about the loss of livelihoods while the people in other areas complain about paralysed transport services.
The government says the shops would be open for two days in locked-down areas for people to buy commodities. The public employees in those areas are considered working while the government says that the agreement with the private sector to pay salaries of the workers has been extended by the government until December.
AITP said that the report of the committee led by Dr. Lalithasiri Gunaruwan who was appointed to study the MCC had recommended not to sign the agreement.
AITP highlighted that the recommendation of the committee had been endorsed by people through the landslide victory offered to the government at the election held following the issue of the report.
Handing over a letter to the US Ambassador Alaina B. Teplitz, JVP said that they would not trust that the visit of US State Secretary Mike Pompeo would be a commitment for a strong, free and independent Sri Lanka.
JVP accused the US that they were trying to take Sri Lanka into their control pushing the country into a costly regional power crisis.
They alleged that the US was pressurizing Sri Lanka to sign a number of military and trade agreements in a non-transparent manner while the present government had failed to safeguard the independence and the non-alignment foreign policy.
On October 22, US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Dean Thompson urged Sri Lanka “to make difficult but necessary decisions” on its foreign relations. JVP said that this statement was not mere hypocrisy but a threat to the country's economy, independence and sovereignty.
JVP questioned the choices encouraged by the US in terms of Sri Lanka, according to Dean Thompson's statement.
Also read:
Three COVID-19 deaths were reported today so far in Sri Lanka.
A 41-year-old male patient died in National Institute of Infectious Diseases, aka IDH.
Two more patients died in the National Hospital in Colombo.
One of the deceased is a 19-year-old young man with chronic disability.
The other deceased is an elderly woman who had been hospitalised for an ailment on her leg.
Sri Lankan civil society is silently but strongly marking their protest against the government's inhuman forcible cremation of a 20-da...
