Panic buying, escaping in Western Province of Sri Lanka ahead of weekend curfew

Panic buying reported in most parts of the Western Province of Sri Lanka which are not under curfew, ahead of the long weekend curfew imposed since midnight today. Friday 30th October 2020 is a full moon day and a public, bank and mercantile holiday in Sri Lanka.

Large numbers of people gathered in crowded shops including liquor shops with minimal health measures to buy commodities in fear of extension of curfew beyond the weekend. 

Meanwhile, vehicles belonged to the people who were fleeing out of Colombo district and the Western Province on expressways queued about one kilometre long from Kottawa interchange. Police warned people escaping the curfew but the majority of them had reasons because they temporarily lived in the Western Province for work.

Similar queues of exiting vehicles were reported from Pinnaduwa interchange in Galle in the Southern Province also. The Province is not under curfew.

The curfew that will be imposed since midnight today, 29th October 2020, in the Western Province will be lifted at 5 a.m. on Monday. However, the government announced the curfew would not be lifted in police areas which are already under quarantine curfew. 

20th amendment of Constitution of Sri Lanka valid since today

20th  amendment to the constitution of Sri Lanka became valid since today, 29th October 2020. 

Under Sri Lanka's law, a constitutional amendment is valid since the day the Speaker sign it and the Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abewardane signed the relevant document today. 

20th amendment to the constitution was passed on 22nd October with two-third majority in the parliament. 

Parliamentary reporter of Sunday Times infected COVID-19 while working from home

Sri Lanka's leading Sunday newspaper Sunday Times announced that the parliamentary reporter of the newspaper had been infected COVID-19 while working from home. 

The newspaper office has been disinfected and the publishing company said that the printing and distribution department connects with the editorial only via online.

The Sunday Times is published by Wijaya Newspapers Ltd. which publishes Daily Mirror, Lankadeepa daily newspapers and several other periodicals.

Sri Lankan Brigadier threatens to kill a doctor; GMOA withdraws doctors from service

 

Sri Lanka Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) complained to the Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi and Army Commander Shavendra Silva regarding the death threat against the head of Sampathnuwara District Hospital by a senior Army officer.

According to the letter dated 28 October 2020, sent to the Minister of Health, Brigadier K.K.S. Parakum of Mechanized Infantry Regiment had visited Sampathnuwara District Hospital in Welioya and abused the Head of the Institution and other medical officers using racist and derogatory words. The words include anti-Tamil racist language that called the doctors terrorists. 

As a trade union action, GMOA has withdrawn the doctors from the service in Sampathnuwara District Hospital. 

Full text of the letter: 

Government Medical Officers Association
28.10.2020

Hom. Pavithra Wanniarchchi,
Minister of Health,
Ministry of Health,
Colombo.

Dear Madam

Unacceptable behaviour of Brigadier K. K. S. Parakum

It is sad to inform you that Brigadier K. K. S. Parakum had visited district hospital Sampathnuwara and abused head of the institution and other medical officers පර දෙමළා, ප්‍රභාකරන්, ත්‍රස්තවාදීන්, තොපි මරණවා. මේක මගේ ඒ්රියා එක [ Bloody Tamil, Prabhakaran, Terrorists, I will kill you all, This is my area – SLB]

We remind that the era during the war all our doctors treated the military with dignity to ensure the moral and medical backup to armed forces and police to combat terrorism in our motherland.

However the behaviour of brigadier K. K. S. Parakum has failed to the expected standards of disciplinary of our armed forces and fail to ensure the dignity of doctors and fellow citizens.

Here we attached our communication to Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva on 26. 10. 2020 for necessary action.

Since the situation at DH Sampathnuwara is not rectified we are compelled to withdraw the services at DH Sampathnuwara as trade union measures considering the safety of our members.

We request your good offices’ to take necessary measures to ensure safe working conditions of this institution for the best interest of the patients.

Thank you,
Yours faithfully
Dr Senal Fernando
Secretary

Wimal Weerawansa says he has fullest trust on the government's patriotism

Addressing a press conference held in Colombo today, National Freedom Front (NPP) leader Wimal Weerawansa accused opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and People's Liberation Front (JVP) of attempting to mislead people regarding the visit of US State Secretary Mike Pompeo. 

Weerawansa said that Pompeo had told to the press that signing or not signing of Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) was Sri Lanka's choice and that had made the opposition disillusioned. 

The NPP leader said he had the fullest trust on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the government regarding safeguarding the national interests before any kind of international pressure.

Weerawansa said that he had not been panic with the visit of US State Secretary because the issue had been discussed in the cabinet and the President had assured MCC would not be signed. Even the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dinesh Gunawardane had discussed the talking points of his speech with the cabinet. 

Weerawansa further assured that his party would not be a partner of a government coalition that signs any adverse agreement like MCC, SOFA or ACSA.  

Pharmacies banned to sell two drugs without prescriptions from specialist doctors

Sri Lanka National Drug Control Board has informed all the pharmacies not to sell two drugs with the written prescriptions of specialist doctors. 

The drugs are Chloroquine and Hydroxy Cloroquine. 

Some people believe these two drugs will help to be safe from COVID-19. National Drug Control Board rejects the claim

Sri Lanka exceeds number of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients; increasing the capacity

Sri Lanka exceeded the first-stage capacity of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients. 

The country has a capacity for 5,000 COVID-19 patients and the number of patients exceeded 5,000 yesterday. 

The health authorities are increasing the capacity of the hospitals under the second stage to handle more cases. 

For example, the government announced it had converted the non-functioning Batticaloa Campus premises in Valachchanai into a hospital for COVID-19 with facilities for 1,200 patients. 

Meanwhile, the cabinet co-spokesman Minister Ramesh Pathirana, a doctor by profession, said that the patients with less complications would be sent to selected quarantine centres. He said that 75 to 80 per cent of the COVID-19 patients had not shown symptoms.