Courtesy Hiru News

IDH The police and the health sector are conducting further investigations to find out how the coronavirus infected person who escaped while receiving treatment at the hospital arrived in Pettah this morning.

This is due to the contradictory statements he has made so far.

The suspect first jumped out of a window of the hospital building where he was staying and then escaped from the hospital wall around 2.00 am this morning.

He had later told the police that he had come to Angoda Junction and walked along the Low-Level Road to the Grandpass area via Orugodawatta.

He had then hired a three-wheeler in the Grandpass area and arrived at the Colombo National Hospital due to an exacerbation of a chronic ailment in his leg.

According to the police, the victim and the three-wheeler driver residing in the Maligawatta area are being investigated on the basis of CCTV footage due to providing conflicting statements.

While the coronavirus infected patient was staying near the OPD of the Colombo National Hospital, two hospital employees had informed the police and taken steps to get him into custody.

The hospital staff had identified him after his photo was posted on the internet.

The victim was identified as Elsiam Naseem, 41, of Vallimalar, Trincomalee.

He was admitted to the quarantine center at the Mullaitivu Army camp on May 11 due to the coronavirus infection.

He was later admitted to the Welikanda Base Hospital after being diagnosed with the coronavirus infection during a PCR examination at the Kandakadu Rehabilitation Center, where he had been referred due to his drug addiction.

That was on the 10th.

Investigations have revealed that he was admitted to the IDH hospital on the 15th.

This person has been referred again today to the Angoda National Institute of Infectious Diseases.

The health department and the police are conducting an extensive investigation to find those who made contact with him close to the places where he was discharged from the hospital.

Police Media Spokesperson SSP Jaliya Senaratne further stated that since the coronavirus infected person was identified before being admitted to the National Hospital, there are no concerns regarding the infection at the hospital.

Meanwhile, the Government Information Department stated that 11 coronavirus infected persons have been reported so far today. Nine of them are detainees at the Kandakadu Rehabilitation Center, while the other is a close associate.

Accordingly, the total number of corona infections found in the country will increase to 2764.