Apr 22 (AD) A private hospital in Pannipitiya has been temporarily closed off and its staff has been directed for quarantine, said Commander of the Army Lt Gen Shavendra Silva. Boralesgamuwa resident who was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 had reportedly visited the hospital for treatment. Accordingly, 73 of the hospital staff members have been subjected to PCR testing and 7 of them have been directed for self-quarantine, said Kottawa PHI Keerthilal Tuduwege. more..

Apr 22 (DM) Air pollution in Colombo city and its suburbs had dropped by 70%, while air pollution in other areas has been reduced by 50%, senior scientist at the NBRO Sarath Premasiri said. He said the main reasons for the changed situation, were minimum vehicular movement and the slow down of industrial activity in the country, brought about by the over three-week-long police curfew imposed island-wide. “Traffic has been drastically reduced in every city in the country, including Colombo. more..

Apr 22 (AD) PCR tests for Covid-19 are to be carried out on around 523 fish vendors and employees at the Peliyagoda Fish Market, according to the Public Health Inspector (PHI) in the area. This is after it was uncovered that the fish vendor who had tested positive for Coronavirus had recently visited the Peliyagoda Fish Market. Considering the risk of the virus spreading, fish vendors and employees at the fish market were subjected to PCR more..

Apr 22 (EN) Cabinet of ministers had cleared a global promotion plan proposed by the tourism promotion office with no modifications but it may be changed to suit post-Covid needs of the country, a top official said. “The cabinet gave the approval for the global promotion campaign,: Chairperson of SL Tourism Kimarli Fernando told an online forum organized by Advocata Institute. We will observe two-minute silence, ring the bell at places of worship & light a candle in memory of those who died. more..

Apr 22 (DM) Parliament which was originally dissolved on March 2 could become active automatically with the decision of the Election Commission to postpone elections to June 20, UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said. He said that his party is of the view that Parliament could be reconvened as per the Constitution, given the postponement of the election once again. It was highlighted by some legal personnel earlier that the House gets re-convened if elections are more..

Apr 22 (EN) We should have been gathering in large numbers today to collectively grieve for the men women and children who died a year ago when suicide bombers slaughtered them in churches and hotels in seven different locations in Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa. But the unexpected threat of an invisible foe, a deadly highly-contagious virus is keeping us indoors, confined to those closest to us to remember more..

Apr 22 (DM) There is no plan to send the Indian Army to Sri Lanka for whatever purpose, sources from the Indian High Commission in Colombo said today. The High Commission was responding to some Indian media reports to that effect. Earlier, Indian based PTI said quoting official sources that “Indian Army is readying separate teams to be deployed in SL, Bangladesh, Bhutan & Afghanistan to help those countries boost capabilities to deal with rising cases of coronavirus.” more..

Apr 22 (AD) Another batch of SL students stranded abroad is scheduled to be repatriated tomorrow. SriLankan Airlines stated that 101 students in Amritsar, India will be brought back to SL tomorrow. The task will be carried out using a special charter flight UL 146 of the SriLankan Airlines. Meanwhile, 113 SL students – 93 from Lahore and 20 from Karachi – in Pakistan were repatriated yesterday. On the directives of health authorities, the students were sent for a quarantine process upon arrival. more..

Apr 22 (EN) SL imposed conditions on businesses that are open to ensure social distancing limiting the number of people who can travel in a three-wheeler to two, closing barber shops and encouraging eateries to offer only take out. Some media reports have said that a barber was among those found infected with the disease although the Health Department has not confirmed this as yet. Director-General Health Services Dr Anil Jasinghe more..

Apr 22 (DM) Investigations are underway to identity how the patient from Pilyandala who tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday had contracted the virus as his brother who had recently returned from Australia had tested negative and he had no immediate recent history of associating with positive patients. Govt officials said that although initially they suspected he maybe an isolated case, further investigations are being conducted to determine if he may have contracted virus from his more..

Apr 22 (NR) Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe said following the discovery of a COVID-19 patient from Piliyandala, 530 samples were obtained from persons working at the Peliyagoda market. He said 62 samples from persons at a private nursing home in Pannipitiya were also obtained for PCR tests. Dr. Anil Jasinghe added that another group of residents from the Bandaranayake Mawatha area in Colombo were also subjected to PCR tests. more..

Apr 22 (AD) Another person has tested positive for COVID-19 in Sri Lanka raising the total count of confirmed cases to 323, says the Ministry of Health. It is reported that this patient, who is from Suduwella in Ja-Ela, was undergoing quarantine process at the facility in Oluvil. In the meantime, one more person who contracted the novel coronavirus has been discharged from hospital after making a complete recovery. more..

Apr 23 (CT) One full year has passed. News about some suspects being arrested had also come and gone. But a serious engagement with the sub-urban Muslim youth who may be the prime pool of ideology of the 2019 Colombo Ester bombing has not taken place as it demands. Dialogue for Deradicalization seems a fancy thing in the peripheries of politics. And the general civic society has not seen any such institutional processes in the Post –Zaharan period that calls them to unite against terrorism. more..

Apr 23 (CT) Blaise Pascal, The French Mathematician and philosopher famously identified what was wrong with us humans. “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone,” he wrote in the 16th century. He did not know how accurate he would be in the 21st century when we are in lockdown mode with our smart phones and personal computers. I write this missive on a Wednesday morning. Then I ask myself ‘does it matter which day of the week it is?’ more..

Apr 23 (CT) Basil Rajapaksa has officially informed the Elections Commission that he was not a member and did not hold any positions in any political party, the EC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya told political party leaders at a meeting on Tuesday. The political leaders grilled the Commission about why it was permitting the national organiser of the ruling party to run a govt task force that is distributing relief for people affected by more..

Apr 23 (CT) Much talk has arisen in society regarding the role and present behaviour of Professor Ratnajeevan Hoole, a member of the Election Commission. It was not just today or yesterday that Ratnajeevan Hoole's actions and views became a topic of conversation in political circles. The manner in which Ratnajeevan Hoole is behaving at this moment, has caused society to be in a state of amazement. Prof Hoole was appointed as a member of Election Commission by CC. more..

Apr 23 (CT) Amidst the fight against the global pandemic Sri Lanka's healthcare system encountered a stumbling block. GMOA recently announced that some 500 essential drugs were in short supply and added that despite remarks made by Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, the measures taken thus far to overcome the shortage by the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) and the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) are insufficient. more..

Apr 23 (DM) Sri Lankans have got used to living with a lot less. Salary cuts have been announced and even the sick have been made to go into survival mode. Pharmacies are opened only on selected days of the month. People have to toughen up and most importantly if one observes closely there are few or no options to complain about anything. Overall the country is in a way under military rule. There may be a lot of good more..

Apr 23 (DM) The announcement of a new polling day for the parliamentary elections has now intensified the political debate between the govt and the opposition regarding the call for the reconvening of Parliament. Election Commission has the authority in terms of the Parliamentary Election Act No 1 of 1981 to postpone the day of polling in case of an emergency situation and announce a fresh date to take polling. Section 24(3) of the Act says, “Where due to any emergency or unforeseen more..

Apr 23 (DM) Govt’s moves to relax curfew in most areas on Monday, April 20, drew a varied public response. While long queues were seen at liquor shops, many buses were packed with commuters, despite guidelines on physical distancing. queues maintaining a minimum one-metre gap were rarely seen. The most number of COVID-19 positive cases were also reported on Monday, apart from one case in Piliyandala. Later, the curfew in high-risk areas was extended. more..

Apr 23 (FT) The 20 June election may be the last chance to keep President Gotabaya Rajapaksa safely anchored to the Parliament and the SLPP; lodged within the electoral democratic mainstream, its institutional milieu, mechanisms, processes and political culture—and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa seems to know it. Block that opening, kick the electoral can much further down the road and that last chance goes with it. This is not the time for prissy proceduralism and legalistic literalism, more..

Apr 23 (Island) A number of factors indicate the state of economy of a country. During the last few years the economy of Sri Lanka, indicated by the growth rate, trade deficit (TD), exchange rate (Rs/US $) and debts has deteriorated. As a result of the island wide curfew the economy has worsened. The World Bank in its biannual Spring 2020 publication, has warned of a poor economic outlook for South Asia in the coming months due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of people such as more..

Apr 23 (Island) It is heartening to note that the GMOA, instead of promoting strikes, expressing expert opinions. However, it should be noted that their expertise is in trade union activities though individual members may be experts in the fields relevant to the epidemic. But the fact that Sri Lanka does not lack expertise, was well demonstrated at a webinar broadcast by the Ceylon College of Physicians. more..

Apr 23 (DN) The staff of Amana Bank embarked on a stride to bring smiles to the faces of the Security Forces, Police and Health workers by gifting them with sweets and confectioneries on the following day of Avurudu as a gesture of tribute and appreciation of their invaluable services. Commenting on this gesture, Amăna Bank’s Vice President Operations Imtiaz Iqbal said, “In gratitude to all the individuals who are selflessly serving the people and the country at this hour of need, more..

Apr 23 (TM) On 15 April, Saskia Fernando hosted their very first online live open studio as part of their Art in Curfew series. The first guest featured on the live video stream was their very own Firi Rahman. The live stream, which aired at 3 p.m. on the Saskia Fernando Gallery Instagram page, had Firi Rahman open up his studio for art enthusiasts, aspiring artists, and anyone else who may be interested in taking a peek into what an artist’s studio looked like. Firi, best known for being engaged in more..

Apr 23 (ST) The deadly coronavirus that began spreading in the country rapidly from March and the four-week long curfew imposed to contain it, is wrecking lives & livelihoods across an economically weak country that is heavily in debt. Daily wage-earners, farmers, small traders, tourism-related business owners, and the self-employed such as three-wheeler operators and street vendors of art, are staring at the bottom of economic barrel. more..

Apr 23 (Island) Descartes famously said, Cogito, ergo sum, or I think, therefore I am. Going by the ugly scenes, one witnessed near liquor outlets, in the districts, where curfew was relaxed, on Monday, for people to buy essentials, one wonders whether the guiding dictum of many a Sri Lankan male is I drink, therefore I am. Dipsomaniacs made a beeline for packies, at first light. It may be unfair to generalise about men; most of them look after their families, and some of them consume liquor, more..

Apr 23 (TM) Given the current global pandemic, the majority of the population is forced to stay indoors for extended periods of time, craving to travel and experience the magnificent wonders that the world outside has to offer. The current lockdown limits the amount of interaction with exotic destinations, and outdoor activity is severely limited. To capture the imagination of the audience that is forced to be indoors with a hope to travel again soon, Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts launched more..

Apr 23 (MoD) Defence Secretary Maj.Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne said there was no necessity to seek assistance from other countries to deploy their military to contain the spread of coronavirus in Sri Lanka. He said Sri Lankan Tri-Forces and the Police had already proved their capabilities in containing the spread of coronavirus. “Our military has already shown their expertise and professionalism in handling the emergency more..

Apr 23 (ST) Govt will spend a staggering Rs 24 billion to give financial assistance of Rs 5,000 each to compensate those who have lost their income, Treasury official said. The sum includes Rs 9 billion needed to be paid to a range of others who were laste week added to the list of beneficiaries. Govt initially offered the Rs 5,000 payment for 1.8 million Samurdhi beneficiary families and later expanded it to 600,000 families who had been placed on waiting list as Samurdhi beneficiaries. more..

Apr 23 (Island) There are a number of caveats in the relief package meant for COVID-19 affected hotel industry and hotel employees that prevent them from getting access to these critical funds as quickly as possible, Sanath Ukwatte, Chairman, SL Hotel Association (THASL) said Tuesday. He made this remark at an Advocata Institute hosted online discussion on Zoom participated by Kimarli Fernando, Chairperson, SL Tourism, Vipula Gunatilleka, CEO, SriLankan Airlines, more..

Apr 23 (Island) A parliamentary Act, enacted way back in 2001, has prevented govts from naming an IGP following the removal of Pujith Jayasundera as the police chief over his alleged failure to thwart the Easter Sunday bomb attacks, SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris asserted. The then President Maithripala Sirisena named Senior DIG C.D. Wickremaratne as the Acting IGP, on April 29, 2019, a week after Easter Sunday carnage more..

Apr 23 (DN) The CSR Trust of Commercial Bank of Ceylon has made a series of donations of essential equipment to hospitals to support doctors and healthcare personnel battling to treat victims and prevent the spread of the pandemic. The National Hospital Colombo, General Hospital Kandy, Teaching Hospital Peradeniya, Base Hospital Teldeniya and Base Hospital Homagama were among the beneficiaries of the Bank’s donations of much-needed consumables that help keep more..

Apr 23 (PMD) With corporate and individual donations and direct donations, the COVID – 19 Healthcare and Social Security Fund‘s balance has now surpassed Rs. 822 million. The donations made to the Fund were Chief Prelate in Singapore Ven. Bellanwila Dhammarathana Thero Rs. 05 million, Chief Prelate in USA Ven. Maharagama Dhammasiri Thero Rs. 05 million, Chief Prelate in France Ven. Parawahera Chandrarathana Thero Rs. 01 million, Chief Incumbent of Geneva Buddhist Temple more..

Apr 23 (Island) SL’s headline inflation as measured by the year-on-year change in the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI), has decreased to 7.0% in March 2020 from 8.1% in Feb 2020. Contributions to the inflation rate of March 2020 from food group and non-food group are 6.0% and 1.0% respectively. Whilst contributions of food and non-food groups to the inflation in March 2019 were -1.0% and 3.9% respectively, more..

Apr 23 (EN) Sri Lanka is in talks with the World Bank to re-align a part of existing programs as the island fights off Coronavirus, and also accelerate draw downs using emergency components, a top official said. “We talking to with the World Bank to re-align some of their existing programs and accelerate disbursement,” Treasury Secretary S R Attygalle said. World Bank is a top lender to SL and has several ongoing programs, a part of which could be re-directed to fight the current pandemic. more..

Apr 23 (PTI) SriLankan Airlines will operate three rescue flights from India to fly back its stranded students in the country. These special flights are being operated as part of the SL govt's programme to bring back its students stranded in foreign countries and being carried out in partnership with the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a release said on Wednesday. On Thursday, the airlines will operate a special flight from Amritsar to Colombo and on Friday it will also operate two more more..

Apr 23 (Island) Former State Minister Dr. Harsha de Silva said that Sri Lanka was not in a position to take advantage of extremely low fuel prices due to lack of storage facilities. He said: "Oil prices are plummeting and with global storage facilities filling up. Countries like Singapore (and many others) have built large storage capacity and oil trading hubs over the years; using both domestic and foreign investments. more..

Apr 23 (CT) Officers from the Prisons Department said that the old Bogambara Prison, which was under the purview of the Board of Investment, had been taken back by the Prisons Department, to house new inmates for a period of 14 days. Sources said that those new inmates, after serving a 14-day period, are subjected to medical tests, before they are to be sent to other prisons. According to the Dept sources, some 500 prisoners would be housed at the old Bogambara Prison, more..