Mar 24 (NR) Former leader of JHU Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera has requested govt to release inmates presently in remand custody over minor offences, owing to the present situation in the country. Thera pointed out that it would worsen the condition the country is at present, if the coronavirus were to spread amongst inmates as prisons are currently overcrowded. Thera requested the govt to also release inmates who have almost completed their prison sentence with a period of 6 mos more..

Mar 24 (AD) Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts have been identified as high risk areas for Coronavirus and hence the curfew imposed on those districts will continue until further notice, the PMD said. Issuing a statement, it said that Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts have been identified as high risk zones with regard to the spread of Covid-19. Health authorities have observed that a large number of people more..

Mar 24 (eTN) Concerning the 43rd UNHRC which ended so precipitously on March 13 where Sri Lanka was on the agenda, the international community is experiencing what the Tamil community is far too familiar with – SL’s callous disregard for negotiated agreements. On Feb 26, SL made the ignominious announcement that it does not feel bound by the commitments made in 2015’s UNHRC Resolution 30/1 and its two successor resolutions, 34/1 and 40/1, intended to encourage reform and more..

Mar 24 (AD) Former SL Air Force Commander, Marshal of the Air Force Roshan Goonetileke has been appointed as the Governor of the Western Province. He was sworn in before Prez Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat, today. Roshan Goonetileke has previously served as the 12th Commander of the SL Air Force (SLAF) and the Chief of Defence Staff. Goonetileke was conferred the highest honorary Air Force rank Marshal of SLAF in 2019 by then-Prez Maithripala Sirisena. more..

Mar 24 (AD) First batch of persons to be quarantined after arriving in the country is due to leave the quarantine centers today completing their quarantine period. Accordingly, a group of 311 persons will be leaving quarantine premises today. They had arrived from Italy, South Korea, and Iran after the novel coronavirus spread globally. Reportedly, 203 persons from the Punani quarantine center and another 108 persons from more..

Mar 24 (NR) Ministry of Health says pharmacies across the country have been granted approval to remain open despite the curfew in place owing to efforts to combat COVID19. Ministry said an individual can produce a prescription or a clinic book during curfew to the Police or the military in order to visit a pharmacy. Health Ministry noted that due to the curfew presently in place a large number of patients who seek daily hospital treatment and obtain medicine from pharmacies are more..

Mar 24 (EN) Sri Lanka issued a set of guidelines to its elderly citizens today on how to protect themselves from the COVID-19 pandemic. As research worldwide has shown that the elderly and younger children are at most risk from the novel coronavirus, the country’s elderly population of three-million must act responsibly. Quoting Sri Lanka Association of Geriatric Medicine (SLAGM) President Dr Padma Gunaratne, the government spelt out the following guidelines: more..

Mar 24 (EN) The police department is apologizing to a woman whose photograph appeared in a list released by the authorities on Monday that featured a group of people who the police said arrived in the country earlier in the month but did not go into quarantine. Shirani Peries called police yesterday from France and protested that her picture has appeared in this list, a Police spokesman said. In its statement today the department said more..

Mar 24 (Island) Minister Bandula Gunawardena says that if he were to use his official vehicle for electioneering, he would gladly pay Rs. 100,000 to the State. Responding to questions at a news conference in Colombo on Friday, Gunawardena said the policy adopted at the 2015 general election, that the PM and Ministers should pay Rs.100,000 each for traveliing in official vehicles for their polls campaign, would be followed. "I would gladly pay the stipulated amount", he added. more..

Mar 24 (Island) Two senior Ministers have come up with conflicting positions on whether fuel prices would be reduced, in keeping with a big drop in world market oil prices. Minister Bandula Gunawardena said at last Thursday’s Cabinet Press Briefing, that fuel prices would not be slashed for a year, even if crude oil prices fell further. But Minister Mahinda Amaraweera told a news conference in Colombo the following day, that people expected some relief in keeping with global trends. more..

Mar 24 (EN) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed a committee to look into way to release people who have been jailed over minor offenses and those who could not provide bail, his office said. “President issued these instructions during a meeting held at the Prez Secretariat today with the members of the committee appointed to make recommendations on the possibility of providing legal redress for the prisoners more..

Mar 24 (NR) Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe says of the four new coronavirus cases identified today, three are returnees from Italy while the other is a returnee from the United States. He said a majority of the COVID-19 cases identified in the country are Sri Lankans who arrived in Sri Lanka from overseas. He said of the 101 coronavirus cases reported in the country 21 are from the Colombo District, 13 from Kalutara District and 10 from Gampaha District. more..

Mar 24 (AD) A total of 2,405 curfew violators have been taken into custody so far since the curfew was re-imposed at 6 p.m. on Friday (20). In the meantime, 646 vehicles including motorcycles and three-wheelers have also been seized along with the arrestees. A majority of the arrests were for loitering along the roads while people have also been arrested over incidents of gathering and consuming alcohol, travelling by vehicle on the roads, keeping restaurants open, behaving in an unruly more..

Mar 24 (EN) Staff of SriLankan Airlines who are flying aircraft braving a global Coronavirus epidemic keeping Sri Lanka connecting to the world, bringing in vital medical and other supplies and also taking exports out is facing discrimination in society, the carrier said. “SriLankan Airlines appeals from the general public to respect its employees for their service to the country at a time of need,” the airline said in a statement. more..

Mar 24 (DM) Italian embassy in SL said ‘the returnees from Italy referenced in recent news publications have never obtained a visa from this Embassy, nor have ever requested one.’ “We would like to bring to the notice of readers that the returnees from Italy referenced in recent news publications have never obtained a visa from this Embassy, nor have ever requested one,” the embassy said. With regards to some news items on the Covid-19 situation in Italy that are more..

Mar 24 (DM) A group of Sri Lankans living in Bangladesh in a letter to Prez Rajapaksa has sought permission for Sri Lankans working in Bangladesh to return to SL. “We as a community feel it’s much safer to be in our Motherland and I earnestly request your kind approval in permitting our fellow Lankans to return to Colombo in anticipation of SriLankan airlines being allowed to operate the rout over the weekend dating 27th-29th of March," Prez of SL Association in B'desh, Angelo Leanage said. more..

Mar 25 (CT) On 17th March, Prez Rajapaksa concluded his address to the nation with a forthright fearless statement. “This country, that’s yours and mine, is secure today.” He exuded Confidence. Confidence makes a leader to go forward with faith. The leader’s demeanor dispels doubt amongst officials. The President in the statement embodied courage and sincerity. He was wrong of course. There is more to national security than contending with separatist terrorists & suicide bombers. more..

Mar 25 (CT) We are in a mess, so think some economists. They say banks are solvent this time unlike the Great Recession in 2008-2009. During the Great Recession the crisis was complex requiring the govt to bailout banks apart from major manufacturing companies. They further say that this time the problem is straight forward which is the containment of virus as banks are solvent. This notion is wrong. We are in a full-blown crisis. It appears that it's predominantly a health crisis more..

Mar 25 (Roar) This is a live blog about the COVID-19, that is spreading rapidly across the world. The latest developments, from both here and abroad, will be documented here. Tuesday, March 24: 19:28 Health Promotion Bureau data indicated that the total number of those with COVID-19 is 102. Five cases were reported today. 16:42 The number of active COVID-19 cases increases to 101, after 4 new cases were reported today. more..

Mar 25 (FT) At the time of writing this article, COVID-19 has so far killed more than 10,000 people, and infected over 244,000 in more than 150 countries, and is likely to infect more and kill more people. No one is able to predict when the pandemic will end. A vaccine is at least 12 to 18 months away. The economic damage that is resulting from this pandemic is something the world has not experienced. This is going to create a major breakdown in the social order, more..

Mar 25 (Island) As the Covid-19 outbreak continues to spread globally, restrictions on travel, and large public gatherings, have resulted in practically all concerts and entertainment events being postposed, or cancelled, entirely…world-wide. WHO announced it is now on the highest level of alert, warning the public: "This virus may be on its way and you need to be ready." Fears over the outbreak have resulted in the local showbiz scene going completely dead, with no hope of a quick recovery. more..

Mar 25 (CT) COVID 19 is more a panic than a pandemic: It obscures from view the fact that far more people die as a result of illness related to poverty, malnutrition, and other forms of structural violence than anything else in South Asia, and indeed the rest of the world. In the context, the govts of the region would need rational and targeted policy responses to the Covid 19 challenge – rather than days of country-wide curfew without more..

Mar 25 (CT) A dark era has dawned on SL's university system, as a first-year student, 21-year-old Pasindu Hirushan, from Kamaragoda in Minuwangoda, enrolled at the Management Faculty of the Sri J'pura University, lies in the ICU, connected to a life-support system, battling between life and death. Although the University Students' Union vehemently denies that it was due to a ragging incident, it is a fact that after a freshers' party on 5 March, group of senior students, more..

Mar 25 (CT) SL Parliament was dissolved, and the old set of MPs appear to be behaving like a disturbed hornet's nest, with fierce competition and bickering going on, concerning nominations of their names from the respective party lists. Chief Prelates of the Buddhist Monastic edifices, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, Bishop of Colombo, along with a majority of the public are requesting party leaders not to recommend any previous tarnished names to be nominated from any party. more..

Mar 25 (ST) The corona pandemic is spreading like wild fire. Its economic consequences are severe, increasing and unpredictable. It is worse than a recession. It is a global economic shutdown and will impact severely on the SL economy. It has spread to more than 170 countries with over 270,000 persons tested positive. Its int'l ramifications are widespread, extensive and wide-ranging. Its duration is still uncertain and there is little prospect of an early containment of the pandemic more..

Mar 25 (FT) In light of the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation, Temasek Foundation, Singapore has offered to provide 5000 numbers of Fortitude Kit 2.0 (COVID-19 test kits) to the Ministry of Health. The donation was handed over by Benedict Cheong, CEO of Temasek Foundation Int'l to High Commissioner Sashikala Premawardhane on 20th March. High Commission has promptly made arrangements to deliver the test kits to SL, which have been received by the Health authorities more..

Mar 25 (AFP) The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed to no later than the summer of 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe, the International Olympic Committee announced Tuesday. The Games were scheduled for July 24-August 9, but after telephone discussions between IOC president Thomas Bach and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, a historic joint decision was taken for more..

Mar 25 (DN) Who would have thought that something sounding like a brand of one of those sleek fuel-efficient Japanese cars would pose such an existential threat to the entire human race! Ebola was a threat in far-a-way West Africa, SARS mainly a problem for the omnivorous Asians (Chinese!), Dengue strikes those who cannot keep a clean backyard, but this virus, Corona, is not discriminating; striking all colours, sizes and ages, with no respect for power or wealth. more..

Mar 25 (ST) Gonny van den Bos and her husband, Jacque van den Bos, are our family friends from Holland. Gonny had sent us a mail a few days ago. This is part of what she wrote: “Now in Holland it’s all about coronavirus. Schools are closed. All bars, restaurants etc are closed. It is very strange. People get nervous and, buy so much so that shops are empty. Especially toilet paper and aspirin are hard to find.” This is not a case of Holland only, but of the entire Europe and the entire world. more..

Mar 25 (CT) Prisons Dept said they had identified some 30 inmates who had been behind the mayhem at the Anuradhapura Prison which took place on the evening of 21 March. A top officer from the Dept said that its probe team has already begun to record statements from the identified inmates as to why such an unruly incident had taken place. He further added that initial information revealed that besides the 30 inmates in Prison, more..

Mar 25 (FT) SL Customs has made arrangements to provide services to importers, exporters and other agencies under the prevailing situation of the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The arrangements are applicable for both sea cargo and air cargo processes and will be implemented subject to health and safety measures notified by the Govt, especially to minimise human gathering, thus preventing the spread of this deadly decease. Therefore, Director General of Customs more..

Mar 25 (SLN) As a measure to prevent the spread of new coronavirus in the country, the Navy conducted a sterilization programme in religious places and residences in Chunnakam, Jaffna Peninsula on 23rd March. A number of sterilization programmes are being carried out in public places, to strengthen the joint mechanism of the govt to control the spread of the virus in the country, in the backdrop new coronavirus has been declared by the WHO as an epidemic. more..

Mar 25 (BBC) India's PM Narendra Modi has imposed a nationwide lockdown in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The restrictions came into force at midnight local time and will be enforced for 21 days. "There will be a total ban on venturing out of your homes," Mr Modi said in a televised address. He appealed for people not to panic - but crowds quickly mobbed stores in the capital, Delhi, and other cities. more..

Mar 25 (EN) Two conflicting narratives emerged out of the apocalyptic grocery shopping spree this morning: One was of discipline and orderliness, with mile-long queues of shoppers patiently awaiting their turn at the supermarket, and the other was a horror story (though ironically less dystopian) that spat in the face of those time-honoured petite bourgeoisie values. As the COVID-19 curfew was temporarily lifted at 6am today – with a window of eight hours at first, then hurriedly revised to six hours, more..

Mar 25 (DN) The majority of proposals presented by GMOA to prevent COVID-19 had been implemented by Prez Rajapaksa and Govt authorities and as a result COVID-19 has been controlled in SL to the current level, GMOA Secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge said. He said that more proposals to prevent further spread of COVID-19 have already been presented to the Govt. According to Dr. Aluthge, decision making should not be delayed and taking prompt decisions immediately is required to control more..

Mar 25 (FT) Yesterday’s scramble to buy essentials, with long queues forming in humid weather, has prompted experts to urge the Govt to rethink how it balances COVID-19 countermeasures with normality for citizens. Despite knowing in advance that the imposition of curfew at 12 noon yesterday was not practical, Govt went ahead, only to postpone curfew until 2 pm. The extension came too late, with thousands of people queueing more..

Mar 25 (SLN) As a measure of controlling the spreading of new coronavirus in the country, SL Navy conducted a sterilization programme at Medical Faculty hospital in Kotalawala Defence Uni (KDU) and Teaching Hospital-Kalubowila, today (24). Navy is conducting lot of sterilization programmes in the public places. Accordingly, Medical Faculty hospital in KDU and Teaching Hospital-Kalubowila premises were sterilized by the Chemical Biological Radiological and and Nuclear (CBRN) Unit more..

Mar 25 (EN) Maldives is sending an aircraft to Sri Lanka to evacuates its citizens in the island as a Coronavirus pandemic is sweeping the world. Sri Lanka’s main airport is not permitting inbound passengers but is open for cargo and outgoing passengers until March 23. The Island Aviation flight is due to arrive in Colombo on March 25 and leave at 1420 with Maldivian living in Sri Lanka. Many Maldivians live in Sri Lanka for business and also to educate their children, while others visit. more..