Courtesy The Daily Mirror

A 10 day quarantine curfew came into effect from last night. Seen here are the deserted roads of Colombo today morning. Pix by Nisal Baduge

Kottawa

Pix by Nisal Baduge

Courtesy Adaderana

The Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry reports that another 1,099 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, moving the daily total of new cases to 3,884.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus reported in the country to 385,696.

As many as 323,390 recoveries and 7,183 deaths have been confirmed in Sri Lanka since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The Epidemiology Unit’s data showed that 55,123 active cases are currently under medical care.

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lanka has registered 198 more COVID-19 related fatalities confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services on Friday (August 20).

This is the highest number of deaths reported within a day since the beginning of the pandemic.

The new development has pushed the official death toll from the virus outbreak in Sri Lanka to 7,183.

According to the data released by the Department of Government Information, the latest victims include 117 males and 81 females.

None among the victims are aged below 30 years while 44 of them are aged between 30-59 years and 154 others are aged 60 and above.

By Rohana R. Wasala

It is always in season for old men to learn. -Aeschylus, Greek playwright of the 5th Century BCE

Partly to our dismay, gerontocracy has shown
Its withered hands of a wizened old wizard
Behind the recent cabinet reshuffle, muddle or mess,
Moving ministers like pieces on a chessboard, changing,
The configuration of portfolios, like pawns of restricted movement;
But partly to our relief, it might turn out to be a stroke of genius
Of an experienced Gerontocrat with a Grandmaster title claim.
Moving pawns in a game of chess to avoid checkmate
Is an intellectual feat of the highest order
Let’s wait and see, before we pass judgement.

That is being politic, for the sake of being politic, you might respond.
True, but in a situation where rule by the old is the norm
Both in the government and the opposition, where games are won or lost
What else could we do except keep our fingers crossed? 

A gentleman noted for dealing with opponents in an impeccably politic
Manner, without even positive ulterior motives, whatever the cost
Is getting back the foreign ministry, after almost a decade of accustomed-.
Mediocrity elsewhere. Only the oldies might remember how lacklustre
His performance was then, when his pedantic rhetoric and politic postures
Prompted on enemy faces feigned smiles that concealed daggers.
Of course, I won’t say that he’d fail to avoid the fate of having to prove 
A doormat for a diplomat to be walked over in Geneva In ignominious submission
To the dictates of the Mighty expressed through an abject mea culpa
For human rights violations uncommitted and accountability issues concocted.

Then there’s the case of a worthy scion of a leonine clan
Who is now required to tackle an unruly brood of callow cubs!
Let him be careful lest his congenitally strong backbone 
Get stressed too much for his remaining in politics
Any longer because, like his ancestors, he is no political survivalist.
He is likely to give up politics, but never his principles!

In the case of a worthy of a different reputation and temperament,
The heroic act, perhaps his personal best, committed by him 
Is lifting by firm fiat a local pandemic-related lockdown
That eased the free social spread of the contagion.
He has got his just deserts for he’s been rewarded
With a kick upstairs from transport to power
Where a younger colleague of his is credited
To have done a fairly good job
By having government policies implemented
Through experts without dabbling in their work
Or seeking to promote himself through crass gimmicks
That are harmful to the workers and the general public.

But this latter was lucky that his known language skills
And his past-masterly performance in palaver
Had nothing to do with power that lights up residences
Runs the industries and drives the human civilization
The media will afford him an excusable chance
To indulge in his often innocuously meaningless prattle.

A phone call from the PM came to the former health minister
Who had just been sur-prised out of her job
And transported, not to a plane of joy, but to a new terrain,
Where the going won’t be so easy as where she was,
This, despite her having met her responsibilities reasonably well
In the critical circumstances that had suddenly emerged,
Having even contracted the deadly corona in the process,
That threatened her life and her family’s health, too. 
The call gave her some consolation, no doubt about that.
The PM asked her to check on what was going on in her ministry.
Perhaps, even more shocked by that request than by her removal
From Health, she told him that she was no longer there (to meet his request).
So it was crystal clear that the PM didn’t handle the cabinet reshuffle.
The PM must be confident now that the lady won’t wrongly assume
That he was behind her outster from a position that she did justice to.

The senior politician who has replaced her
As health minister must have a lot of luck 
To outshine her in the job.
But he is a gladiator hardened in the rough and tumble
Of the traditional political arena.

The fly in the ointment in this perfect job is the fact
 Of burdening the youngest cabinet minister
Who remains still untested and unbroken
With additional responsibilities, earlier subsumed
Under a subject included in the portfolio of one of the few
Technocrats in the cabinet, with a proven track record.
The novitiate’s position might be intended as a bridgehead
For an imagined future of youthful meritocracy.
That is alright. People, particularly, the young,
Love Novelty in governance in terms of new blood, 
But they might think this is Nepotism,
Which they love to reject.

News of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka records the biggest ever daily increase of Covid deaths for the second day in a row, as new cases rise sharply

The daily number of coronavirus deaths has reached 195 the highest since the pandemic began.

The number of new cases rose sharply to 3839, after a fall earlier in the week which inspired optimism that lockdown restrictions may not be required.

The general population is concerned with the higher daily death rate and the Opposition leader said the record daily death toll was appalling” and warned, there will be more to come”.

A community health worker said: These figures are appalling, and of course we think of the suffering that each one of those deaths represents to their families and to their friends. I’ve got to tell you … there will be more to come”. He said that the new variant was now in virtually all parts of Sri Lanka. It’s true that it looks as though the rates of infection in the country overall may now be peaking or flattening but they’re not flattening very fast and it’s clear that we must keep a grip on this. We must maintain discipline, formation, keep observing the lockdown.”

Meanwhile, the president is being criticized for taking a Trump-like approach to the pandemic by sitting in an air-conditioned room surrounded by his so-called virus preventive task force but refuses to go in front of the nation to explain the measure he had been taking to prevent it from spreading. In contrast, while all democratic leaders of the world had been giving daily briefs to the nation on the progress of their effort to reduce mass infection in front of the television cameras.

The worst Covid Management capability

According to the data published by the Worldometers.info website, Sri Lanka reported being the worst Covid Management capability in the world except for a few African countries.

USA Cases reported during the last 7 days 2937 per million population and death in the last 7days 16 per million population.
UK Cases reported during the last 7 days 3068 per million population and death in the last 7days 10 per million population.
Russia Cases reported during the last 7 days 1032 per million population and death in the last 7days 39 per million population.
Cuba Cases reported during the last 7 days 5439 per million population and death in the last 7days 49 per million population.
Vietnam Cases reported during the last 7 days 662 per million population and death in the last 7days 23 per million population.
Sri Lanka Cases reported during the last 7 days 1239 per million population and death in the last 7days 54 per million population

Delta variant is very aggressive. There is no point in considering historical facts. We must consider what is happening today.

In UK daily infection rate is 37314 and the daily death rate is 114, i.e. daily infection rate is 548per million population, and the daily death rate is 1.7 per million population, while in Sri Lanka daily infection rate is 3839 and the daily death rate is 195, i.e. infection is 178per million population, 9.0 death per million population. A five-fold increased daily death rate compared to the United Kingdom.

Why?

In Sri Lanka, the high death rate is due to poor management of Covid patients in government hospitals. Sri Lanka health service does not have an island-wide Corona management protocol. When it comes to the management it is up to the individual doctor’s decision that matters most by selecting the medicine and the life-supporting facilities as he/she wishes.

In the UK and in all other developed countries, the respective National Health service follows an approved specific protocol when treating a Covid patient. For example, they have a list of recommended medicine depending on the severity of the infection and if the patient’s oxygen saturation in the blood goes below 94%, they should immediately transfer the patient to a ward where they can give oxygen. But in Sri Lanka, it is observed frequently that the patients are dying in the corridors of the hospitals due to lack of oxygen. Doctors openly blame the government and the government is leaderless.

However, despite a daily infection rate of 36,572, In the UK there are no covid restrictions anymore because of the high standard of patient care.

RANJITH SOYSA

 No sooner the US and Allied Forces left Afghanistan, the Taliban forces walked into the capital city and captured power. What was the mission of the US and allied forces in Afghanistan for 20 long years? The unfolding events paint a very bleak picture of the expectations of the war in Afghanistan, the human and material cost incurred, and the strategies followed by the USA, the elected Afghan governments and the UN which had bags under it eyes during this long war.

Between 2010 to 2021 at times the US had more than 200,000 soldiers and the cost of war reached $100 billion a year. Total military expenditure for 19 years was $778 million. The UK and Germany ‘s Afghan war expenditure was $30 billion and $19 billion over the years, according to some studies $19 billion had been lost due to waste, fraud and abuse.

Allied forces have lost more than 3500 soldiers while more than 2300 have been US soldiers. It is estimated that 64 100 Afghan Army and Police carders lost their lives during the 20 year period of war. From 2001 to 2019 the number of civilians killed owing to air strikes increased by 330% and the total killed in the war is estimated as 241,000. The total number of civilians uprooted or displaced during the war had been around 400,000 with about 70,000 being driven away from their homes in 2020.

Joe Biden assured three weeks ago that US troops withdrawal will never be like when the US left Vietnam in disgrace and it was unlikely that Taliban will capture power

At the end of the long war hardly within a very short period of withdrawing of the allied forces, the adversary had been able to capture the total area from the control of elected Afghan government with almost all the material, machines and the arms left behind by the allied forces. Patricia Gossman. Associate Asia Director of HRW summarizes the outcome of the counter -productive partnerships engaged by the USA in following para.

..”I have spent much of these past 20 years talking to Afghans about the consequences of counterterrorism gone wrong – the civilian deaths and injuries that never made it into the Pentagon’s airstrike death count; the night raids that turned into summary executions targeting people who had the bad luck to live in a contested district; the torture of people in custody that destroyed lives and motivated revenge. I have also talked to many Afghans about the unforeseen consequences of these actions – the Taliban resurgence abetted by Afghan government abuses and corruption; the grievances and disillusionment that drove people to lose faith that post-2001 Afghanistan would be better; and the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Afghanistan, an offspring of Pakistan pandering to Islamist extremism and Afghan warlords’ mis-governance in Afghanistan’s east. The grounds for what went wrong was laid early, long before the Taliban re-emerged, through squandered opportunities and the obliviousness or apathy of U.S. generals about atrocities being committed by Afghan forces, the U.S. military, and CIA units. Safe havens provided by Pakistan certainly helped pave the way for the Taliban’s return. But far too little attention has been given to what the United States did – and failed to do – in the years since 2001, and how U.S. decisions and policies essentially set the stage for failure”.

Thus, the sudden withdrawal of forces and Afghanistan spinning away uncontrolled as stated by the UN chief was anticipated by the experts on geo -politics and many other commentators. The original objective of going in search of Bin Laden and Al Qaeda terrorists were achieved by the USA but they could not overcome the Taliban which was also considered as a Muslim fundamentalist ‘terrorist ‘ group. Some reports have highlighted that the Talibans have links to ISIS and Al Qaeda  which complicates the overall security situation as it could lead to cross border terrorist attacks in many fronts with the help of the victorious Talibans in an unstable Afghanistan.

 Finally. one should also consider the ramifications in the region consequent to the regime change in Afghanistan. One of the burning issues will be the management of refugee outflow from Afghanistan. Some estimate that the Afghans awaiting to seek greener pastures will be in the region of 500,000. Their movement immediately to the neighbouring countries in the region will have to be managed so that there will not be internal repercussions in the receiving countries. Central Asian countries, Pakistan, India

and China will have to adopt policies of engagement with the nationalistic Afghanistan, Then , the relationship with the major powers such as the USA, Russia, China and India will either provide the required balanced environment for the economic and social development  of Afghanistan or if one or more major powers strive to impose their will to control Afghanistan it will lead to a new phase of political instability in the country as well as the region.

In retrospect, the researchers have another opportunity to probe into how the arms industry helped to prolong this misguided adventure and if possible to stop such wasteful efforts in the future.

RANJITH SOYSA

Ratanapala

20 Aug 2021

The President was elected by the people – 69 lakhs of them! It is true that his candidature was spearheaded by  Pohottuwa but  he is not the leader of this political party. He is  the leader chosen by a majority of Sri Lanka voters to be their President. At the inaugural ceremony, he promised to be the President of all Sri Lankans. It is time President took the people into his confidence and come out of virtual ‘hiding’ in the Presidential Secretariat! President should lead from the front and inspire the people and give them confidence.

It is time the President explained to the people directly and at regular intervals the main goals of his presidency, what has been achieved, what he aims to achieve and what are the difficulties he is facing and so on in simple terms. He should outline the successes so far from the time Covid-19 appeared in Sri Lanka. There are many successes. These must be highlighted lest they forget. At the moment, there is a severe gap in communications from the office of the President in that it is not entirely clear the way the government machinery is progressing. The Opposition accusations and taunting are left with no response which carries the government position or stand on them. It is the President’s sole job to mobilize all his supporters to support his initiatives and not let his support base wither away at the hands of the likes of political failures such as the JVP and the Kuhaka Jana Balawegaya. The JVP who could only obtain 3 seats at the last parliamentary elections should not be allowed to destabilize the nation with their sloganeering and protests.  At the moment they  are sounding as if they are the main opposition threatening to overthrow the government by bringing people on to the streets!

What the people see is that the President and his government are firefighting with no clear strategy. This is the time to show leadership from the front. In New Zealand the Prime Minister address the people almost on a daily basis. This is how she has won the confidence not only of the people, but also of the Opposition in manner of speaking. The President and the Pohottuwa has nearly 2/3 majority in parliament and the 20th Amendment to boot. Most of the time what is required is only a simple majority in the parliament. All this power must be used to pass legislature necessary to control the pandemic and all other manifestations that use the excuse of the pandemic to scuttle the government machinery. These should include laws to control street demonstrations and wrongful use of the media.  

People wanted discipline and a stern President. That is why Gotabhaya was elected as their President. The need of the hour too is the same – a sterner President and not one failing to do the right thing fearing the next election! Even at this late stage he should understand that micro managing is not a successful strategy. He should lay out broad policies and then hold subject Ministers responsible for the successful implementation of policy. Trying to decide how to have more hospital beds should be the job of the subject Minister or Ministers! They should be held responsible for the successful implementation of their portfolios.

President passed the first wave and second wave of the pandemic with flying colors. The third – the New Year wave was a grave mistake if looked at the situation in isolation. All over the world, governments have come to the conclusion that countries have to be opened up and live with the virus as the situations permit and demand. The only long-term solution is to achieve herd immunity through successful vaccinations AND newer and newer vaccines to curtain the ever growing list of the new variants. The economies must be revived while the virus is still around in order to keep the people fed and nourished. For this the machinery of the government and private sectors should be kept turning! So far President’s island wide vaccination drive is a huge success thanks to the indefatigable health services and the armed forces.

It is far better to face Geneva than to get a Nobel Price after saving the nation and her economy. This is the stuff that history remembers! The war against Corvid-19 should not be carried out with the next election in mind. People wanted discipline and a stern President. That is why Gotabhaya was elected as their President. The need of the hour too is the same – a sterner President and not one failing to do the right thing fearing the next election!

THE OPPOSITION LAUNDROMAT – KUHAKA JANA BALAWEGAYA

The sole intention of the Opposition Laundromat led by Kuhaka ( Samagi) Jana Bala Wegaya and murderous JVPers is to disrupt all government measures to successfully sail through the troubled waters of Covid-19 and the resultant Economic Crisis. They have no answers to what ails the economy but are intent on not allowing the government to make a success of it either. The contribution so far by the opposition is all negative, reprehensible and clearly not praiseworthy. Washing dirty linen in front of world diplomats is the depth of their depravity. The current Covid-19 situation is similar or worse in other countries. One just need to visit the following web site to see how the pandemic has affected the world.

WHERE THE PROMISES OF ‘THE VISTAS OF PROSPERITY ‘ STAND TODAY AND IF THEY HAVE TO BE MODIFIED TO SUIT THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC  SITUATION SHOULD BE TOLD TO THE PUBLIC TRUTHFULLY. THERE ARE MANY ACHIEVEMENTS INSPITE OF THE ADVERSE PANDEMIC SITUATION. CORRECT INFORMATION OF SUCCESSES AND FAILURES MUST BE TOLD UNDILUTED WITH REASONS FOR ANY FAILURES BY THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF.  THE NATION MUST BE TOLD THAT WHAT THEY RECEIVE FROM ONE END HAS TO BE PAID FROM THE OTHER END! THIS TRUTH MUST BE FLAGGED IN FRONT OF THE PEOPLE LEST THEY FORGET. HE HAS ONLY A FEW YEARS OF HIS FIRST TERM LEFT TO LAY A GOOD FOUNDATION FOR A SECOND TERM, A MUST IN THE CURRENT WORLD SITUATION. THIS IS NOT A TIME TO CHANGE THE LEADERSHIP. THE PRESIDENT NEEDS A WELL THOUGHTOUT,  UNAMBIGOUS  STRATEGY. FOR THIS HE MUST LEAD FROM THE FRONT, BE SEEN AND ADDRESS THE NATION MUCH MORE OFTEN THAN NOW  WITH A SMILE. SMILES BRING CONFIDENCE! HIS JOB SHOULD BE TO TAKE THE PEOPLE INTO HIS CONFIDENCE AND NOT LET THAT CONFIDENCE FALTER. THE ORIGINAL ENTHUSIASM OF THE NATION MUST BE REINSTATED. IF NECESSARY HE MUST BE ABLE TO MUSTER HIS FORCES TO COUNTER THE AGENT PROVOCATEURS ON THE STREETS.

IF THE NATION IS A SHIP, THEN THE PRESIDENT IS THE CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP AND THE PILOT RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCCESSFUL NAVIGATION THROUGH TROUBLED WATERS. IF THERE IS MUTINY ON THE SHIP, IT IS ALSO UPTO THE CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP TO QUELL THE MUTINY AND IF NECESSARY ‘KEEL HAUL’ A FEW TO BRING SANITY AMONG THE REST.

IT IS UP TO HIM TO INSTILL CONFIDENCE IN THE NATION AND TO STEER THROUGH WITH A FIRM HAND. AS LONG AS THIS IS NOT DONE, EVEN LITTLE AJITH ROHANA THE LEADER OF THE PHI ASSOCIATION LOOKS LIONIC, SOUNDS LIONIC AND MORE PRESIDENTIAL!

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Colombo, August 20 (newsin.asia):  The Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in his address to the country on Friday, that given the dire economic situation in Sri Lanka, it is important to keep the economy humming with activity even as steps are taken to contain the spread of COVID-19 and to treat the infected.

He said that the only solution to the health crisis is full vaccination which his government is set to achieve by mid-September.

Here is the full text of his address:-  

The accepted opinion of the World Health Organization (WHO), the majority of medical experts and according to the global standardized methodology is that vaccination is the only solution for the COVID-19 pandemic.

That is why, I made a special commitment to bring in vaccines to Sri Lanka in the recent past. I personally spoke to the Heads of Governments in countries like China and India. I personally wrote letters to several other Heads of State. Discussions were held with vaccine producing countries through our Foreign Ministry, Ambassadors and High Commissioners. Our officials coordinated with vaccine manufacturing companies.

All these efforts were made because I wanted to vaccinate all the people of our country.

Read more – Health workers in Sri Lanka to be given COVID booster shots

As a result of this effort, the country is now receiving a large number of vaccines that we need monthly.

Initially, we received the AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured in India.

Afterwards, we were able to get the Sinopharm vaccine manufactured in China, but the administration of the vaccine to the public was delayed for about a month due to the delay in getting the vaccine approved by the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA). Nevertheless, the Government took measures to administer Sinopharm vaccine continuously since May 8 this year. In addition, we have received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines from the United States, the AstraZeneca vaccines from Japan, and the Sputnik vaccines from Russia, placing us among the countries that administer the highest rates of COVID-19 vaccines to its people. As at the 19th of this month, a total of 12,019,193 vaccine doses have been administered as the First Dose.

Meanwhile, 5,124,185 vaccines have been administered to the people as the Second Dose. In addition, we have approximately three million doses of vaccines to be given as the Second Dose. Another 3 million doses will be received later in this month. At present, about 98% of the people who are above the age of 30, have been vaccinated while 43% have been given the both doses. By August 31, more than 81% of the population will be able to receive the second dose. By 10th of September, 100% can receive both the doses.

With this development, the number of patients and the number of deaths will decrease.

Read more – Over 97 percent of COVID-19 victims had not been vaccinated in Sri Lanka, data reveal

The Government took steps to vaccinate all frontline health workers, persons engaged in essential services such as ports, security services, and factory workers by giving them riority. People over the age of 60 were also vaccinated by giving them priority. In addition, more than a million factory workers under the age of 30 were also vaccinated.

We continue to follow the restrictive measures such as the imposition of inter-provincial travel restrictions across the country, isolation of Grama Niladhari Divisions, imposition of curfew, summoning only the essential public service employees to work, halting the functions like weddings, closure of certain businesses, ban on inter-provincial travel and prohibition of gatherings at places of worship.

We were able to successfully manage the first wave of the COVID-19 virus due to the actions that we took at that time. Such stern decisions had to be made at that time because there were no other options available at that time.

The country has to be placed under a complete lockdown for several months continuously. Through all these efforts, we were able to overcome the first COVID-19 wave.

Though we took measures to place the country under a lockdown occasionally, we should understand the consequences of this decision.

The lowest economic growth of the country since Independence was seen during the first wave of COVID-19 as a result of placing the country under lockdown.

Especially, the apparel sector that brought in a revenue of about USD 5 billion to Sri Lanka was gravely affected. Their orders were stopped. Many lost their jobs. Export earnings fell.

Our tourism industry, which generated over USD 4.5 billion and provided a livelihood to over 3 million people, completely collapsed. Hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost.

The occasional lockdown of the country dealt a severe blow to the construction industry. They are not able to bring in employees they require. It is not possible to obtain the raw material at the required time. Over the past one and half years, we have lost most of the expected local and foreign investments in this sector.

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Small and medium enterprises are another important sector of our local economy. The COVID-19 pandemic was a major obstacle for these businesses that contribute more than 50% of the GDP. Due to the continuous disruption of their business activities, these companies lost revenue and faced grave issues without being able to repay their loans or pay salaries.

Those who obtained leases for vehicles could not pay the installments. Housing loan borrowers could not settle the loan installments.

Addition to this, close to 4.5 million self-employed personnel and daily wage earners became helpless since they lost their sources of income completely.

Amidst all these obstacles, we also had the responsibility to keep the people alive. We did not abdicate that responsibility.

Each time the country was placed under a lockdown due to COVID-19 risks, we spend around Rs. 30 billion in each round to provide an allowance of Rs. 5,000 to the people who have become helpless without a daily income. The government has borne this cost on a number of occasions.

In addition to the cost of quarantine centres maintained by the government, each family quarantined in their own homes is provided with a relief package worth Rs. 10,000 for two weeks.

Even under this dire situation, the government has never taken any action to reduce the salaries or curtail the allowances of more than 1.4 million public servants.

Though our foreign exchange earnings dropped, we did not default on the government’s loan installments. We had to pay a colossal loan installment of about USD 4 billion a year as a result of the loans obtained by various governments in the past. All these loan installments were settled on time.

The country’s economy would be in great crisis if the country was put under another complete lockdown. It is not a situation that this country can bear. A large number of orders have been received by the apparel industry in the export sector. If we are not able to deliver these orders on time, we may lose a large amount of foreign exchange.

We are also making great efforts to rebuild the collapsed tourism industry. At the moment, nearly 200 tourists enter the country on daily basis.  If we close down the country, we will have to restart attracting tourists from the very beginning.

Moreover, by having to provide relief to the daily income earners, small and medium enterprises and companies once again due to a lockdown, the country’s economy will be gravely affected. The people should understand the impact of a complete lockdown. Today, except for a few countries, most others including economically powerful ones have fully opened up.

The tourism industry in the world is gradually recovering. The countries that are open today are taking advantage of that opportunity. Our country, which has a small economy should also take advantage of this opportunity. We can’t allow the country’s economy to collapse completely by refusing to take required action.

However, I have decided to impose a lockdown from 10 pm today till 4 am on 30th Monday of this month in order to contain the increase of COVID patients. 

This situation is not a rivalry or conflict between different ideologists, trade unions, doctors, other health officials and the government. We have to understand the reality. This is a serious issue that the whole world faces. Today, all the countries are adapting to the method of ‘New Normal’. As a government, we have properly taken all necessary measures that need to be taken.

Although the government does everything it can to provide oxygen, establish intermediate treatment centers and administer vaccines, it is the role of the doctors to manage patients appropriately. Also, I highly appreciate the service rendered by the doctors, nurses and all other health sector officials so far, despite the risk to their lives. I also pay my respects to the health sector officials belonging to all ranks who have sacrificed their lives.

It is clear that this is not a time for strike actions and protests. Do not attempt to destabilize the country.

Although the health sector looks at this issue from one angle, as a government we will have to manage the small economy in our country if we are to continue to pay off foreign debts, pay salaries, and provide subsidies without any interruption. 

Most of the people passed away from COVID-19 virus are over the age of 60. The majority of people out of them have been suffering from chronic diseases for a long time. And, they have not been vaccinated. People with these chronic diseases should seek treatment as soon as they develop COVID-19 symptoms. Therefore, I have advised the health sector to conduct Rapid Antigen Tests at least once a week targeting the people over 60 years who are suffering from chronic diseases.

I request everyone in the country to be prepared to make more sacrifices, if the country is to be placed under a lockdown for a longer period of time in the future.

At this crucial juncture, everyone should take the country forward strategically by acknowledging the gravity of the situation.

Therefore, I respectfully request everyone to work together in unity as a team to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Courtesy Adaderana

All citizens above the age of 30 years are expected to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the 10th of September, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said addressing the nation today (Aug. 20).

In his statement, the President stated that nearly 98% of the population aged over 30 years have received the vaccine so far, while approximately 43% of them were fully vaccinated.

The President is hopeful that the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths reported in the country would see a decline with the ramped-up inoculation drive.

According to the accepted opinion of the World Health Organization (WHO), the majority of medical experts and the global standardized methodology, vaccination is the only solution for the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The President also spoke of the special efforts he had taken to import vaccines to Sri Lanka by personally contacting the Heads of State of India, China and other vaccine-manufacturing countries. As a result of this effort, the country is now receiving a large number of required vaccine consignments monthly.”

Further, he stated that the health sector was directed to pay special attention to people aged above 60 years, who suffer from chronic illnesses and to refer them to Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) at least once a week.

Speaking on the consequences of lockdowns, President Rajapaksa said the lowest economic growth of the country since the Independence was observed during the first wave of COVID-19 as a result of placing the country under a lockdown.

Each time the country was placed under a lockdown due to COVID-19 risks, we spend around Rs. 30 billion in each round to provide an allowance of Rs. 5,000 to the people who have become helpless without a daily income,” he noted, adding that the government has borne this cost on a number of occasions. 

In addition to the cost of quarantine centres maintained by the government, each family quarantined in their own homes is provided with a relief package worth Rs. 10,000 for two weeks, the President continued. Even under this dire situation, the government has never taken any action to reduce the salaries or curtail the allowances of more than 1.4 million public servants.”

This is not a time to carry out demonstrations or strikes,” the President pointed out while urging the public not to push the country towards anarchy.

Speaking on restriction of movement, President Rajapaksa requested people to prepare themselves to make necessary sacrifices if the country is forced to endure prolonged lockdowns.

Full text of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s special address to the nation:

The Most Venerable Maha Sangha,

Religious Leaders of other faiths, 

Friends,

The accepted opinion of the World Health Organization (WHO), the majority of medical experts and according to the global standardized methodology is that the vaccination is the only solution for the COVID-19 pandemic.

That is why, I made a special commitment to bring in vaccines to Sri Lanka in the recent past. I personally spoke to the Heads of Governments in countries like China and India. I personally wrote letters to several other Heads of State. Discussions were held with vaccine producing countries through our Foreign Ministry, Ambassadors and High Commissioners. Our officials coordinated with vaccine manufacturing companies. 

All these efforts were made because I wanted to vaccinate all the people of our country.

As a result of this effort, the country is now receiving a large number of vaccines that we need monthly.

Initially, we received the AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured in India.

Afterwards, we were able to get the Sinopharm vaccine manufactured in China, but the administration of the vaccine to the public was delayed for about a month due to the delay in getting the vaccine approved by the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA). Nevertheless, the Government took measures to administer Sinopharm vaccine continuously since May 8 this year. In addition, we have received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines from the United States, the AstraZeneca vaccines from Japan, and the Sputnik vaccines from Russia, placing us among the countries that administer the highest rates of COVID-19 vaccines to its people. As at the 19th of this month, a total of 12,019,193 vaccine doses have been administered as the First Dose.

Meanwhile, fifty-one million twenty four thousand one hundred and eighty five (5,124,185) vaccines have been administered to the people as the Second Dose. In addition, we have approximately three million doses of vaccines to be given as the Second Dose. Another 3 million doses will be received later in this month. At present, about 98% of the people who are above the age of 30, have been vaccinated while 43% have been given the both doses. By August 31, more than 81% of the population will be able to receive the second dose. By 10th of September, 100% can receive both the doses. 

With this development, the number of patients and the number of deaths will decrease.

The Government took steps to vaccinate all frontline health workers, persons engaged in essential services such as ports, security services, and factory workers by giving them the priority. People over the age of 60 were also vaccinated by giving them the priority. In addition, more than a million factory workers under the age of 30 were also vaccinated.

We continue to follow the restrictive measures such as imposition of inter-provincial travel restrictions across the country, isolation of Grama Niladhari Divisions, imposition of curfew, summoning only the essential public service employees to work, halting the functions like weddings, closure of certain businesses, ban on inter-provincial travel and prohibition of gatherings at places of worship. 

We were able to successfully manage the first wave of the COVID-19 virus due to the actions that we took at that time. Such stern decisions had to be made at that time because there were no other options available at that time.

The country had to be placed under a complete lockdown for several months continuously. Through all these efforts, we were able to overcome the first COVID-19 wave.

Though we took measures to place the country under a lockdown occasionally, we should understand the consequences of this decision. 

The lowest economic growth of the country since Independence was seen during the first wave of COVID-19 as a result of placing the country under a lockdown. 

Especially, the apparel sector that brought in a revenue of about USD 5 billion to Sri Lanka was gravely affected. Their orders were stopped. Many lost their jobs. Export earnings fell.

Our tourism industry, which generated over USD 4.5 billion and provided a livelihood to over 3 million people, completely collapsed. Hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost.

The occasional lockdown of the country dealt a severe blow to the construction industry. They are not able to bring in employees they require. It is not possible to obtain the raw material at the required time. Over the past one and half years, we have lost most of the expected local and foreign investments in this sector.

Small and medium enterprises are another important sector of our local economy. The COVID-19 pandemic was a major obstacle for these businesses that contribute more than 50% of the GDP. Due to the continuous disruption of their business activities, these companies lost revenue and faced grave issues without being able to repay their loans or pay salaries. 

Those who obtained leases for vehicles could not pay the installments. Housing loan borrowers could not settle the loan installments.

Addition to this, close to 4.5 million self-employed personnel and daily wage earners became helpless since they lost their sources of income completely.

Amidst all these obstacles, we also had the responsibility to keep the people alive. We did not abdicate that responsibility.

Each time the country was placed under a lockdown due to COVID-19 risks, we spend around Rs. 30 billion in each round to provide an allowance of Rs. 5,000 to the people who have become helpless without a daily income. The government has borne this cost on a number of occasions. 

In addition to the cost of quarantine centres maintained by the government, each family quarantined in their own homes is provided with a relief package worth Rs. 10,000 for two weeks.

Even under this dire situation, the government has never taken any action to reduce the salaries or curtail the allowances of more than 1.4 million public servants.

Though our foreign exchange earnings dropped, we did not default on the government’s loan installments. We had to pay a colossal loan installment of about USD 4 billion a year as a result of the loans obtained by various governments in the past. All these loan installments were settled on time.

The country’s economy would be in great crisis if the country was put under another complete lockdown. It is not a situation that this country can bear. A large number of orders have been received by the apparel industry in the export sector. If we are not able to deliver these orders on time, we may lose a large amount of foreign exchange.

We are also making great efforts to rebuild the collapsed tourism industry. At the moment, nearly 200 tourists enter the country on daily basis.  If we close down the country, we will have to restart attracting tourists from the very beginning.

Moreover, by having to provide relief to the daily income earners, small and medium enterprises and companies once again due to a lockdown, the country’s economy will be gravely affected. The people should understand the impact of a complete lockdown. Today, except for a few countries, most others including economically powerful ones have fully opened up.

The tourism industry in the world is gradually recovering. The countries that are open today are taking advantage of that opportunity. Our country, which has a small economy should also take advantage of this opportunity. We can’t allow the country’s economy to collapse completely by refusing to take required action. 

However, I have decided to impose a lockdown from 10 pm today till 4 am on 30th Monday of this month in order to contain the increase of COVID patients.  

This situation is not a rivalry or conflict between different ideologists, trade unions, doctors, other health officials and the government. We have to understand the reality. This is a serious issue that the whole world faces. Today, all the countries are adapting to the method of ‘New Normal’. As a government, we have properly taken all necessary measures that need to be taken.

Although the government does everything it can to provide oxygen, establish intermediate treatment centers and administer vaccines, it is the role of the doctors to manage patients appropriately. Also, I highly appreciate the service rendered by the doctors, nurses and all other health sector officials so far, despite the risk to their lives. I also pay my respects to the health sector officials belonging to all ranks who have sacrificed their lives.

It is clear that this is not a time for strike actions and protests. Do not attempt to destabilize the country.

Although the health sector looks at this issue from one angle, as a government we will have to manage the small economy in our country if we are to continue to pay off foreign debts, pay salaries, and provide subsidies without any interruption.

Most of the people passed away from COVID-19 virus are over the age of 60. The majority of people out of them have been suffering from chronic diseases for a long time. And, they have not been vaccinated. People with these chronic diseases should seek treatment as soon as they develop COVID-19 symptoms. Therefore, I have advised the health sector to conduct Rapid Antigen Tests at least once a week targeting the people over 60 years who are suffering from chronic diseases.

I request everyone in the country to be prepared to make more sacrifices, if the country is to be placed under a lockdown for a longer period of time in the future.

At this crucial juncture, everyone should take the country forward strategically by acknowledging the gravity of the situation.

Therefore, I respectfully request everyone to work together in unity as a team to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic.

May the triple gem bless you!

Courtesy Adaderana

Army Commander General Shavendra Silva says that a decision has been taken to impose quarantine curfew across the island with effect from 10.00 p.m. today (20) until 4.00 a.m. on August 30 (Monday).

He stated that essential services, export, apparel and agricultural sectors will be allowed to function as normal during that period while pharmacies will also be permitted to operate as per usual. 

He stated that this decision was taken during the meeting with the Special Committee on COVID-19 Control held at the Presidential Secretariat today. 

The Army Commander further said that the Sri Lanka Army and health sector will continue to carry out the vaccination of persons over the age of 60 during the quarantine curfew period.

Courtesy Adaderana

COVID-19 inoculation drive will continue despite the quarantine curfew, says General Shavendra Silva, the Head of National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO).

The army commander noted that vaccine recipients who are scheduled to receive their second doses can get themselves vaccinated at respective clinics.

An island-wide quarantine curfew came into effect from 10.00 pm today (August 20). It will be enforced until 4.00 am on the 30th of August (Monday).

Essential services, export, apparel and agricultural sectors are allowed to function as normal during that period while pharmacies will also be permitted to operate as per usual. 

The decision was taken during the meeting with the Special Committee on COVID-19 Control held at the Presidential Secretariat today.

Courtesy Adaderana

The total number people who fell victim to COVID-19 infection in Sri Lanka soared yet again as a record high of 195 new fatalities were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services on Thursday (August 19).

This is the highest number of deaths reported within a day since the beginning of the pandemic.

The new development has pushed the official death toll from the virus outbreak in Sri Lanka to 6,985.

According to the data released by the Department of Government Information, the latest victims include 98 males and 97 females.

As many as 151 deaths were reported among the elderly people who are aged above 60 years.

In addition, 43 individuals aged between 30-59 years and one male below 30 years have also succumbed to the virus infection.

Courtesy Adaderana

A total of 1,014 more people tested positive for COVID-19 today (August 17), increasing the daily count of positive cases to 3,839.

According to the Government Information Department, 3,835 of the latest cases reported today were associated with the New Year cluster. The remaining four are arrivals from foreign countries.

Following the new development, the country’s confirmed coronavirus cases tally now stands at 381,812, the Epidemiology Unit said.

Official data showed that as many as 320,810 patients who were infected with the virus have returned to health so far.

Meanwhile, the death toll reached 6,985 after a record daily high of 195 victims were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services.

More than 54,000 active cases are currently under medical care at hospitals and treatment centres across the country.

Courtesy Hiru News

A report based on the total of 5775 Covid-related deaths reported until the 13th of August, 2021 in Sri Lanka has been released.

According to reports over 5,000 Covid-related deaths reported (5,295) in Sri Lanka consist of people who have not received a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Therefore over 90% of the deaths (91.7%) in Sri Lanka were of those who were not vaccinated.

However, only 417 deaths (7.2%) are of those who have received at least a single dose of the Covid vaccine from the death toll of over 5,000.

Meanwhile, 63 of the Covid-related deaths are of people who had obtained both doses of the vaccine.

Courtesy Hiru News

Director of the Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine at Sri Jayewardenepura, Dr Chandima Jeewandara stated that for the first time in the world, patients have been found in Sri Lanka who are infected with three mutated strains of the Delta variant.

It is reported that the patients were found in Colombo.

One of the identified mutated strains has originated from Sri Lanka.

Rhys Blakely, Science Correspondent CourtesyThe Times (UK)

Fully vaccinated people are far more likely to develop symptoms if they catch the Delta variant of the coronavirus compared with earlier strains, a large study has shown.

Research that looked at more than 700,000 fully vaccinated adults found that more than half of those who became infected with Delta developed classic” Covid symptoms, such as a cough, fever and loss of taste and smell.

With the Alpha variant, which fuelled the wave of infections over the winter, the equivalent figure had been less than 10 per cent.

The research also found that people who were fully vaccinated and those who were unvaccinated had the same levels of virus in their nose and throats if they became infected with Delta. With the Alpha variant, virus levels in those vaccinated had been much lower.

It was stressed that both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca jabs still provided good levels of protection, especially against severe disease and hospital admission. However, the findings will raise concerns that the Delta strain, now dominant in the UK, has reduced the effectiveness of both vaccines at limiting the spread of the virus. Signs of waning protection will be weighed as government advisers discuss any booster-shot campaigns.

Professor Sarah Walker, of the University of Oxford, who led the study, said it was plausible that higher peak levels” of virus would mean that vaccinated people with Delta were more infectious. You still are less likely to get infected if you’ve had two doses — but if you do, you will have similar levels of the virus to somebody who hasn’t been vaccinated at all,” she said.

The study compared the protection offered by the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines before and after mid-May — roughly the point at which Delta, which was first identified in India, became the main variant in the UK.

Before May 16, only about 7 per cent of vaccinated people who caught the virus showed symptoms. At that time, the Alpha strain, first identified in Kent, was dominant. After May 16, when virtually all cases were Delta, the number of vaccinated people showing symptoms jumped to 55 per cent.

The fact that we’re seeing more symptomatic infections with Delta and infections with higher virus levels does mean there is the potential for hospitalisations to increase, but I would really stress that we don’t know that yet,” Walker said.

More research would be needed, she added. We don’t yet know how much transmission can happen from people who get Covid after being vaccinated. For example, they may have high levels of virus for shorter periods of time.

But the fact that they can have high levels of virus suggests that people who aren’t yet vaccinated may not be as protected from the Delta variant as we hoped. This means it is essential for as many people as possible to get vaccinated, both in the UK and worldwide.”

The study also found that two doses of Pfizer is initially more effective at preventing new infections than two doses of AstraZeneca. However, the Pfizer protection declined faster. Fourteen days after the second jab, Pfizer was 85 per cent effective at preventing any infection, falling to 75 per cent on day 90. For AstraZeneca it was 68 per cent on day 14 and 61 per cent on day 90.

The study suggested that after four to five months, both vaccines are likely to perform about as well as each other, and that the interval between doses does not affect effectiveness in preventing new infections, which may potentially support the argument for the present eight-week gap to be reduced.

Dr Koen Pouwels, a senior researcher at Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Population Health, said: The fact that we did not see any effect of the interval between first and second doses, and the greater effectiveness of having had two doses rather than one, supports the decision to reduce [the gap] to eight weeks now that Delta is the main variant of concern in the UK.

However, while vaccinations reduce the chance of getting Covid-19, they do not eliminate it. More importantly, our data shows the potential for vaccinated individuals to still pass on Covid, and the importance of testing and self-isolation to reduce transmission risk.”

The study also showed that people who caught Covid and later received a vaccine had greater levels of protection. For example, 14 days after a second dose of AstraZeneca, infections had dropped by 88 per cent among those previously infected. For those who had not had the virus, it was 68 per cent.

With Pfizer, a prior infection led to 93 per cent protection; without the prior infection, it was 85 per cent.

Courtesy Hiru News

A British public health study has found that protection from either of the two most commonly used COVID-19 vaccines against the now prevalent Delta variant of the coronavirus weakens within three months.

It also found that those who get infected after receiving two shots of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the AstraZeneca vaccine may be of greater risk to others than under previous variants of the coronavirus.

Based on more than three million nose and throat swabs taken across Britain, the Oxford University study found that 90 days after a second shot of the Pfizer or Astrazeneca vaccine, their efficacy in preventing infections had slipped to 75% and 61% respectively.

That was down from 85% and 68%, respectively, seen two weeks after a second dose. The decline in efficacy was more pronounced among those aged 35 years and older than those below that age.

“Both of these vaccines, at two doses, are still doing really well against Delta… When you start very, very high, you got a long way to go,” said Sarah Walker, an Oxford professor of medical statistics and chief investigator for the survey.

Walker was not involved in work on AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which was initially developed by immunology experts at Oxford.

The researchers would not project how much more the protection would drop over time, but suggested that the efficacy of the two vaccines studied would converge within 4-5 months after the second shot.

VIRAL LOAD

Highlighting the increased risk of contagion from the Delta variant, the study also showed that those who do get infected despite being fully vaccinated tend to have a viral load similar to the unvaccinated with an infection, a clear deterioration from when the Alpha variant was still dominant in Britain.

The Oxford findings are in line with an analysis by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and come as the U.S. government outlines plans to make COVID-19 vaccine booster shots widely available next month amid a rise in Delta variant infections. It has cited data indicating diminishing protection from the vaccines over time.

Israel began administering third Pfizer doses last month to confront a surge in local infections driven by Delta. Several European countries are also expected to begin offering boosters to the elderly and people with weak immune systems.

Pfizer has said its vaccine’s efficacy drops over time. Last month AstraZeneca said it was still looking into how long its vaccine’s protection lasts and whether a booster dose would be needed to keep up immunity.

“The fact that we do see … more viral load hints (…) that indeed herd immunity might become more challenging,” said co-author Koen Pouwels, also of Oxford University.

Herd immunity is when a large enough portion of the population is immune to a pathogen, either by vaccination or prior infection, stopping infection numbers from growing.

“Vaccines are probably best at preventing severe disease and slightly less at preventing transmission,” said Pouwels.

The authors cautioned that the viral concentration in the throat was only a rough proxy for severity of symptoms and that they had no new data on the duration of infections.

The survey, which has yet to be peer-reviewed before publication in a scientific journal, underscores concerns by scientists that the Delta variant, first identified in India, can infect fully vaccinated people at a greater rate than previous lineages, and that the vaccinated could more easily transmit it.

To contrast periods before and after Delta became prevalent, the Oxford researchers analysed about 2.58 million swabs taken from 380,000 randomly picked adults between Dec. 1, 2020, and May 16, 2021, and 810,000 test results from 360,000 participants between May 17 and Aug. 1.

The study was conducted in partnership with Britain’s Office of National Statistics (ONS) and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC)

රජිත් කීර්ති තෙන්නකෝන්

බදුල්ලේ ඇත්ත කෝවිඩ් රෝගීන් සංඛ්‍යාවෙන් 42% ක් ජාතික දත්තවලින් හංගලා – බදුල්ලේ රෝහල් රෝගීන්ගෙන් පිරී ගිහින්.  ඖෂධ, ඔක්සිජන් මුහුණු ආවරණවත් නෑ.

බදුල්ල දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ කෝඩිව් රෝගීන් සංඛ්‍යාවේ රෝගීන් 6060 ක් වසංගත රෝග විද්‍යා අංශයත් සෞඛ්‍ය අමාත්‍යාංශයත් විසින් අතුරුදන් කර ඇතැයි හිටපු ආණ්ඩුකාර රජිත් කීර්ති තෙන්නකෝන් පවසයි.

බදුල්ල දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ කෝවිඩ් රෝගීන් 14,373 ක් මේ වන විට මාර්තා වී ඇත. වසංගත රෝග විද්‍යා අංශයට අනුව රෝගීන් සංඛ්‍යාව 8313 කි.  පළාත් සෞඛ්‍ය සේවා අධ්‍යක්ෂවරයා/දිස්ත්‍රික් ලේකම් කාර්යාලයේ වාර්තා සහ වසංග රෝග විද්‍යා අංශයේ දත්ත අතර පරතරය රෝගීන් 6060 කි.  බදුල්ලේ රෝගීන් සංඛ්‍යාවන් 6060 ක් හෙවත් 42% ක් ජාතික දත්තවලින් අතුරුදන් කර ඇත.

ඌව පලාතේ, බදුල්ල දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ පමණක් නොව ලංකාවේ සෑම පලාතකම, සෑම දිස්ත්‍රික්කයකට කෝවිඩ් රෝගීන් ගේ සංඛ්‍යාව මෙලෙස අතුරුදන් කිරීමේ ප්‍රතිඑලය අතිශයින් විනාශකාරී වී ඇත. 

රටට පමණක් නොව ලෝකයටම බොරුකාරයින් වී ඇති ශ්‍රී ලංකාව  රෝගීන් සංඛ්‍යාව හා මරණ සංඛ්‍යාව සැඟවීමෙන් ලබන ජයග්‍රහණයක් නැත.  අගෝස්තු 17 දින බදුල්ලෙන් රෝගීන් 398 ක් වාර්තා විය.  වසංගත රෝග ඒකක දත්ත අනුව එය 10 කි.  බදුල්ලේ සැබෑ රෝගීන් සංඛ්‍යාවෙන් ජාතික වාර්තාවලට අගෝ. 17 දින ඇතුලත් කර ඇත්තේ 1/40 (හතලිහෙන් පංගුවක්) පමණී. මොණරාගල රෝගීන් සංඛ්‍යාවෙන් ජාතික දත්තවලට ඇතුළත් කර ඇත්තේ 1/9 (නමයෙන් පංගුවකි) කි.  

මෙවන් දත්ත විකෘති කිරීම තුලින් බදුල්ල දිස්ත්‍රික්කයට ලැබිය යුතු ප්‍රමාණවත් වෛද්‍ය පහසුකමක් මේ වන විට ලැබෙන්නේ නැත.  බදුල්ල, බණ්ඩාරවෙල, දියතලාව, බිඳුණුවැව, කහගොල්ල, හිඳගල ආදී සෑම මධ්‍යස්ථානයකම දැඩි තදබදයක් පවතී.  ඉමහත් කැපවීමෙන් කටයුතු කරන වෛද්‍යවරුන්, සහකාර සේවා, හෙදියන්, කාර්මික ශිල්පීන්, සහාය සේවා නිලධාරීන් දැඩි පීඩාවට හා අසහනයකට පත්ව ඇත.

රෝගී සංඛ්‍යාව පිළිබඳ දත්ත විකෘති කිරීම තුලින් කෝවිඩ් වසංගතය තවදුරටත් අර්බුදයකට ලක්වීම නොවැලැක්විය හැකිය. බදුල්ල දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ සැබෑ රෝගීන් සංඛ්‍යා මත පදනම්ව රෝහල් වෙත  ඖෂධ, ඔක්සිජන්, කාර්ය මණ්ඩල සඳහා අතශ්‍යවශ්‍ය උපකරණ යොමු කිරීම සෞඛ්‍ය බලධාරීන් කටයුතු කළ යුතුය.

(බදුල්ල දිස්ත්‍රික් ලේකම් කාර්යාලය නිකුත් කළ දත්ත සහ වසංගත රෝග අංශය විසින් නිකුත් කළ දත්ත පිටපත්මේ  සමඟ අමුණා ඇත.) 

රජිත් කීර්ති තෙන්නකෝන්

2021 අගෝස්තු 19

The worst Covid Management capability

According to the data published by Worldometers.info website Sri Lanka reported being the worst Covid Management capability in the world except for a few African countries.

USA Cases reported during the last 7 days 2937 per million population and death in the last 7days 16 per million population.
UK Cases reported during the last 7 days 3068 per million population and death in the last 7days 10 per million population.
Russia Cases reported during the last 7 days 1032 per million population and death in the last 7days 39 per million population.
Cuba Cases reported during the last 7 days 5439 per million population and death in the last 7days 49 per million population.
Vietnam Cases reported during the last 7 days 662 per million population and death in the last 7days 23 per million population.
Sri Lanka Cases reported during the last 7 days 1268 per million population and death in the last 7days 53 per million population

Courtesy Adaderana

Chief Prelates of the Malwathu-Asgiri Sects have written to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa requesting a country-wide lock for a period of one week.

The Chief Prelates pointed out that the entire country is facing a catastrophe due to the spread of the coronavirus disease.

The letter also noted that the health sectors have warned of the severity of the new mutant virus strains and the difficulty in controlling them due to their rapid spread.

Further, the World Health Organization has also warned of a major health crisis in Sri Lanka in the coming months, the letter reads.

Thereby, Chief Prelate of Malwathu Sect Ven. Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangalabhidhana Thero and Chief Prelate of the Asgiriya Sect Ven. Warakagoda Dhammasiddhi Sri Pagnananda Thero have urged the President to impose a lockdown on the country for at least a period of a week on the advice and recommendations of health experts.

The Theros appealed to the President to control the spread of the disease by providing the necessary facilities to the people during the lockdown and protect lives.

Courtesy Adaderana

Ten allied political parties of the government have proposed to the President to lockdown the country for at least three consecutive weeks.

In a letter to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, they have suggested seven measures to be taken to control the pandemic.

The political parties say that, despite being aware of the economic impact of closing the country, the number of COVID-19 cases will not go down to a level that can be handled by the hospital system without a lockdown.
 
The allied political parties have also suggested that an all-party mechanism be set up to deal with this national catastrophe and that a committee of experts from the health and economic sectors be appointed to advise it.

The letter also added that all officials involved in distorting data, especially in reporting on COVID-19 cases, should be punished without discrimination.

The letter was signed by Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thero of Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya, Vasudeva Nanayakkara of the Democratic Left Front, Tissa Vitarana of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, Wimal Weerawansa of the National Freedom Front, and Udaya Gammanpila of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya.

In addition, A. L. M. Athaullah of the National Congress, Tiran Alles of the United People’s Party, G. Weerasinghe of the Sri Lanka Communist Party, Asanka Navaratne of the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party, and Gevindu Kumaratunga of the ‘Yuthukama’ Organization have also signed the letter.

Courtesy Adaderana

According to the Ministry of Health, 97.7% of those who succumbed to COVID-19 as of August 13 had not been vaccinated against the virus.

As per the data, Sri Lanka had witnessed 5,775 deaths from the coronavirus. Reportedly, 5,295 of them had not received any COVID-19 vaccine.

The remaining 480 victims had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Of those, a total of 417 had died after receiving only one dose. This accounts for 7.2% of the total deaths.

The health sector estimates that 63 people died from the infection while receiving both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, which is only 1.1% of the total deaths.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Ministry of Health reported that another 1,073 persons shave tested positive for Covid-19, increasing the daily count of new cases in Sri Lanka to 3,793.

All new cases confirmed today are associated with the ‘New Year’ Covid-19 cluster. 

Accordingly, this brings the tally of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country thus far to 373,165.

A total of 47,847 infected patients are currently under medical care while total Covid-19 recoveries has increased to 318,714.

The death toll due to the virus in Sri Lanka is 6,604.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Director General of Health Services has confirmed another 186 coronavirus related deaths for August 18, increasing the death toll in Sri Lanka due to the virus to 6,790.

This is the highest number of deaths reported within a day since the beginning of the pandemic. 

According to the figures released by the Govt. Information Department, the deaths reported today includes 111 males and 75 females.

Four of the victims are below the age of 30 while another thirty-five are between the ages of 30 and 59.

The remaining 147 are aged 60 years and above.

Courtesy Hiru News

It is reported that there are plans to impose an islandwide complete lockdown to curb the rapidly spreading Covid-19 pandemic.

The government is being pressured by various parties including the Chief Prelates of the Asgiriya and Malwaththa Chapters to impose a lockdown for a short period of time.

More than 25 cities on the island have voluntarily imposed lockdown.

Meanwhile, sources close to the Presidential Secretariat stated that the President is most likely to address the nation tomorrow (20).

The sources further stated that the President is scheduled to make a statement on how the lockdown will be imposed in the country according to the quarantine law.

Meanwhile, a six-hour curfew is in effect in the country every day from 10:00 p.m. to 04:00 a.m.

උපුටා ගැන්ම  හිරු පුවත්

Courtesy Hiru News

The Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha has decided to launch a program to deliver Ayurvedic medicines at home to those who are currently being treated and quarantined at home for Covid infections.

Accordingly, they have decided to deliver the relevant medicines to the homes every day from tomorrow (20).

People in the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha area can call 070 5551470 for more information.

Courtesy Hiru News

Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena stated that a program has been launched to distribute a relief package of 20 essential items worth Rs.1,998 to the public for two weeks through the Sathosa from tomorrow (20).

He was addressing a media briefing in Colombo today (19).

The Minister pointed out that it is possible to get this relief package delivered to homes by calling the number ‘1998’.

The relief package, which includes 20 items that normally sell for more than Rs. 2,600 in the market, will be available at Sathosa branches islandwide from tomorrow.

By Neville Ladduwahetty Courtesy The Island

In keeping with the Government’s commitment to address accountability a Domestic Mechanism was instituted by appointing a Presidential Commission of Inquiry headed by a Supreme Court Judge by Gazette No. 222111/55 of 21 January, 2021. The mandate of this Commission was: to investigate and inquire into, take necessary action or report on the following matters, namely”:

(a) Find out whether preceding Commissions of Inquiry which have been appointed to investigate into human rights violations, have revealed any human rights violations, serious violations of the international humanitarian law and other such offences;

(b) Identify what are the findings of the said Commissions and Committees related to the serious violation of human rights, serious violations of international humanitarian laws and other such offences and whether recommendations have been made on how to deal with the said facts;

(c) Manner in which those recommendations have been implemented so far in terms of existing law and what steps need to be taken to implement those recommendations together in line with the present Government policy;

(d) Overseen of whether action is being taken according to (b) and (c) above”

The reason for a Domestic Mechanism instead of a Hybrid Commission involving Foreign Commissioners as proposed in UNHRC Resolutions co-sponsored by the former Government is because it violates provisions of the Constitution of Sri Lanka. This was brought to the attention of the UN Human Rights Council by the former Government as well as by the present Government. This fact entitled the present Government to withdraw from obligations of co-sponsorship because Article 46 of the Vienna Convention invalidates any commitments undertaken whenever an internal law of fundamental importance” is violated.

However, since there are no restrictions to engage foreign personnel in processes limited only to investigations, the recommendation herein is to engage a mix of foreign and local personnel whose credibility in respect of their expertise is beyond question, with a mandate to carry out comprehensive investigations into alleged violations of Human Rights and /or International Humanitarian Laws. If there are constitutional impediments for such a mix, foreign experts could be engaged as consultants on the basis of their expertise to assist investigations.

SCOPE of the INVESTIGATIONS

The suggestion herein therefore, is to focus on investigations. However, unlike normal law and order situations when investigations into violations of human rights and/or humanitarian law could lead to prosecution depending on the comprehensiveness of the investigation, the intention is to limit investigations with the primary purpose of recording the acts relating to human rights law and/or humanitarian law violations that occurred during the conflict between February 22, 2002 when the Cease Fire Agreement was signed, and May 19, 2009 when the conflict ended.

If instead, investigations are permitted to be comprehensive enough to warrant prosecution, the most likely outcome would be that more persons who represented the Government of Sri Lanka and others who were associated with the conflict would have to face prosecution. Such persons could either be those alleged to have committed violations or those who exercised command responsibility. In contrast, it is more likely that few of those associated with the LTTE would have to face prosecution because either there is no evidence as who specifically committed the violations and acts of terror or even if their identities can be established they cannot be located since they have acquired new identities and are domiciled in foreign countries. Furthermore, others who were in positions to exercise command responsibility, cannot be prosecuted for the crimes committed such as, targeted assassinations and terrorist acts, conscripting civilians to take part in hostilities, taking over 300,00 civilians hostage and killing those who attempted to escape because they are no longer with the living.

The net effect of such an asymmetric outcome following a prosecutorial process would permanently damage the efforts advocated and undertaken to bring about reconciliation.by successive Governments. For the UNHRC to include the provision in several of its Resolutions that a credible justice process should include independent judicial and prosecutorial institutions….”, is to ignore this reality because the perception of the UNHRC is based on the premise that prosecuting the guilty would foster reconciliation. While such a premise may be applicable to normal law and order situations, it is certainly NOT applicable in the case of an armed conflict that spanned three decades involving two communities, if the prosecutorial process causes disproportionate outcomes as referred to above. Furthermore, if the outcome is such that more from the Sinhala majority community is prosecuted than from the minority Tamil community for whatever reason, the consequences would be so serious that reconciliation would not only be a pipe dream but it would also precipitate outcomes that may be unimaginable.

In view of the real possibility of such serious outcomes, it is imperative that the scope of the investigation be constrained to such a degree that legal prosecution is not possible. However, the scope of the investigation could be such that it is possible to establish the body of evidence associated with a particular incident, but not enough to prosecute those who actually committed the act. For instance, there is evidence that the security forces targeted temporary hospitals despite being aware of their location. However, there is also counter evidence that the LTTE directed artillery fire from such locations and moved their ordinance soon after, thus prompting the security forces to target these make-shift hospitals. The investigation would then be limited to what each party to the conflict did in a given situation and not go beyond as to who was culpable to warrant prosecution under the relevant laws. Investigations would thus be a record of actions taken by respective parties to the conflict without going further to establish which party was responsible for which violation of which laws – Human Rights or Humanitarian.

The majority of internal conflicts that either occurred in other countries or those that are currently ongoing, are essentially conflicts between State entities and non-State armed groups. Consequently, violations committed during such conflicts are governed by Human Rights Law. The conflict in Sri Lanka on the other hand, is recognized by the Office of the UN Human Rights Council in their Report on Sri Lanka (OISL) as a Non-International Armed Conflict governed by Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention. Consequently, violations committed by either party to the conflict during the armed conflict are governed by International Humanitarian Law as codified in the Additional Protocol II of 1977 together with those Human Rights Laws that CANNOT be derogated by the ICCPR and by the Constitution of Sri Lanka during a declared Emergency; facts acknowledged in the OISL Report.

Article 6, titled Penal Prosecution” of the Additional Protocol II of 1977 sets out the procedures that need to be followed whenever prosecutions and punishment of criminal offences during an armed conflict are undertaken. Section 2(a) of Article 6 states: The procedure shall provide for an accused to be informed without delay of the particulars of the offence alleged against him…”. This means that if an accused is to be informed of the particulars of the offence alleged against him, the person concerned has to identified and located before he/she is prosecuted. While it may be possible to identify and locate more of those that were associated with the Sri Lankan Government for prosecution, it would be nearly impossible to identify and locate most of those who were associated with the LTTE for prosecution. In such a background a full blown prosecutorial process involving internationally recognized lawyers engaged by either side would NOT be in a position to navigate a meaningful outcome because the international lawyers engaged by the supporters of the LTTE would he armed with more material to prosecute Government’s agents while international lawyers engaged by the Government would have relatively few to prosecute. Consequently, the entire prosecutorial process would end up being skewed leading to the hardening and polarization of attitudes between the Sinhala and Tamil communities; an outcome that should be avoided at all cost.

The scope of the investigation should therefore be limited to finding the Truth as to the nature and extent of the violations committed by parties to the conflict. Going beyond and engaging in prosecuting those responsible for such violations by either party to the conflict would set in place trends with consequences that would be difficult to control. Therefore, as Governments have done in the past and continues to do, the recommendation in the last Section of Article 6 of the Additional Protocol cited below should be followed.

Section 5 of Article 6 states: At the end of hostilities the authorities in power shall endeavor to grant the broadest possible amnesty to persons who have participated in the armed conflict, or those deprived of their liberty for reasons related to the armed conflict, whether they are interned or detained”.

CONCLUSION

The approach pursued by repeated Resolutions of successive Human Rights Councils has been to investigate and prosecute those from both parties to the armed conflict in Sri Lanka who violated Human Rights and/or Humanitarian Laws from February 22, 2002 to May 19, 2009. However, if such an approach is adopted, it would lead to an asymmetric outcome resulting in the polarization of the two communities to a degree that could give cause for instability because the numbers associated with successive Governments who could be identified and prosecuted would in comparison be far in excess of those associated with the LTTE, since it would be next to impossible to identify and prosecute them because they are dispersed primarily in the West with fresh identities. Furthermore, while it would be possible to identify those associated with the Government responsible for command, it is NOT possible to identify the leaders of the LTTE who were responsible for command, because they are no longer among the living.

In light of this hard reality, the approach should be to limit investigations, not with the intent of prosecution, but with the intent of recording the events that occurred during the armed conflict, and which party to the armed conflict could be identified with the respective violations. Such an investigation should be undertaken by a panel made up of a mix of both local and foreign experts responsible to the appointed Commission. At the end of such investigations the present leadership of the parties to the conflict should acknowledge the serious omissions and commissions committed by both parties and move on by declaring the broadest possible amnesty to all who were associated with the conflict as stated in Section 5 of Article 6 of the Additional protocol II of 1977 cited above. Since such amnesties and pardons have been instituted starting with the release of child soldiers and nearly 11,000 plus former LTTE combatants and more recently the release of prisoners, the practice has been in operation from time to time. The need therefore, is to regularize this practice and bring closure to an issue whose time has come.

මාධ්‍ය අංශය වෛද්‍ය තිලක පද්මා සුබසිංහ අනුස්මරණ නීතිඅධ්‍යයන වැඩසටහන,

ජනමතවිචාරණයකට යා යුතුව තිබූ වගන්ති 7 ක්  සහිතව 2019 කොරෝනා වෛරස් රෝගය තාවකාලික විධිවිධාන පනත් කෙටුම්පත අලි සබ්‍රි ජනාධිපති නීතීඥවරයා ඉදිරිපත් කර ඇත්තේ කාලිංග ඉන්දතිස්ස, සංජීව ජයවර්ධන සහ ඉක්‍රම් මොහොමඩ් යන ජනාධිපති නීතීඥවරුන්ගේ සහායෙන් බව 2021 අගෝස්තු 17 දින පාර්ලිමේන්තු හැන්සාඩ් වාර්තාව මගින් පැහැදිලි වේ. (2021 අගෝස්තු 18 දිවයින 07 පිටුව දක්වා ඇත්තේ එකී පනත් කෙටුම්පත ගෙන ඒමට එකී නීති විශාරදයන් මැදිහත් වී ඇති බවයි)

පසුගිය මස 20 වන දින පුරවැසියන් විසින් ශ්‍රී ලංකා නීතීඥ සංගමයට පැමිණිල්ලක් ඉදිරිපත් කරමින් කොරෝනා පනත් කෙටුම්පත සම්බන්ධයෙන් ශ්‍රී ලංකා නීතීඥ සංගමයේ කිහිප දෙනෙකු වැරදි ලෙස ක්‍රියා කිරීම, ස්වාධීනව වෘත්තීය බව නොපෙන්වීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් පැමිණිලි කර තිබුණ අතර අලි සබ්‍රි ජනාධිපති නීතීඥවරයාගේ වැරදි හැසිරීම් සම්බන්ධයෙන් පරීක්ෂාකර නීතිය ක්‍රියාත්මක කරන ලෙස ශ්‍රී ලංකා නීතීඥ සංගමයෙන් 2021.07.20 දින ඉල්ලා ඇත.

එකී පැමිණිල්ල සම්බන්ධයෙන් නීතීඥ සංගමය විසින් ඉදිරි පියවර ගැනීම සිදු වෙයිද යන්න බලවත් සැකයක් ඇතිවීම නොවැළැක්විය හැකිය.

ජනමතවිචාරණයකට යා යුතුව තිබූ වගන්ති 60% තිබූ 2019 කොරෝනා වෛරස් රෝගය තාවකාලික විධිවිධාන පනත් කෙටුම්පත සම්බන්ධයෙන් නීතීඥ සංගමයේ කිහිප දෙනෙකුගේ වැරදි නීතිමය දැක්ම සහ තත්ත්වය නිවැරදි කර ගැනීමට හැකි වූයේ නීතීඥ අරුණ ලක්සිරි උණවටුන විසින් ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණයේ ( SC/SD/24;2021) ඒ සම්බන්ධයෙන් කරුණු දැක්වීමෙන් පසු වන අතර එකී ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණ තීරණය 2021.07.06 දින හැන්සාඩ් වාර්තාවේ ඇතුලත් කර ඇත.

රටේ සියලුම නීතීඥවරුන්ගෙන් සමන්විත ( විනිසුරුවරුන්ද ඇතුලත්)  ශ්‍රී ලංකා නීතීඥ සංගමය කිහිප දෙනෙකුගේ බලපෑමට යටත්ව ජනමතවිචාරණයකට යා යුතුව තිබූ වගන්ති 7 ක් සහිත වූ 2019 කොරෝනා වෛරස් රෝගය තාවකාලික විධිවිධාන පනත් කෙටුම්පත සම්බන්ධයෙන් නිහඩව සහ උදසීනව සිටි බව ඉතා පැහැදිලි අතර නීතියේ පාලනයට, අධිකරණයේ ස්වාධීනත්වයට සහ නීතීඥ වෘත්තියේ ස්වාධීනත්වයට මෙය දැඩි අනතුරක් බවත් පැහැදිලිය.

“වැටත් නියරත් ගොයම් කා නම් කාට කියනුද ඒ අමාරුව” යන්න 2019 කොරෝනා වෛරස් රෝගය තාවකාලික විධිවිධාන පනත් කෙටුම්පත සම්බන්ධයෙන් ශ්‍රී ලංකා නීතීඥ සංගමයේ කිහිප දෙනෙකුගේ ක්‍රියාකලාපය මත ඇති වී තිබූ ඉහත තත්ත්වය පැහැදිලි කරයි.

ඕනෑම රජයක් ගෙනෙන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවට පටහැනි පනත් කෙටුම්පත් සම්බන්ධයෙන් නීති ක්ෂේත්‍රයේ බලවතුන් කිහිප දෙනෙකු විසින් වැරදි ලෙස ශ්‍රී ලංකා නීතීඥ සංගමය පාලනය කිරීම සහ මෙහෙයවීම ජනතාවගේ පරමාධිපත්‍යය අනතුරට පත් කිරීමකි, නීතීඥ සංගමයේ ස්වාධීනත්වය බිද දැමීමකි.

ව්‍යවස්ථා විරෝධී කොරෝනා පනත් කෙටුම්පත ඉදිරිපත් කර ඇත්තේ බලවතුන් කිහිප දෙනෙකුගේ සහයෙන් හෙයින් එහිදී ශ්‍රී ලංකා නීතීඥ සංගමය ස්වාධීනව ක්‍රියා නොකිරීම සම්බන්ධයෙන්, නීතීඥ සංගම් සභාපතිට සහ ලේකම්ට පුරවැසියන් බාර දුන් පෙත්සම කුණු කුඩයටද? යන්න නීතියේ පාලනය පිළිබද විමසිල්ලෙන් සිටින ජනතාවට වැදගත් වේ.

නීති ක්ෂේත්‍රයේ බලවතුන් කිහිප දෙනෙකු විසින් 2019 කොරෝනා වෛරස් රෝගය තාවකාලික විධිවිධාන පනත් කෙටුම්පත සම්බන්ධයෙන් වැරදි ලෙස ශ්‍රී ලංකා නීතීඥ සංගමය මෙහෙයවා ඇති ආකාරය සම්බන්ධයෙන් සහ නැවත එවැනි ආකාරයේ පක්ෂග්‍රාහී සිදුවීම් සිදුනොවන ආකාරයට අවශ්‍ය නිර්දේශ එකී පැමිණිල්ල විභාග කිරීමෙන් ශ්‍රී ලංකා නීතීඥ සංගමයට නිර්දේශ ලබා ගත හැකිය.

ශ්‍රී ලංකා නීතීඥ සංගමයේ කිහිප දෙනෙකු වැරදි ලෙස ක්‍රියා කිරීම, ස්වාධීනව වෘත්තීය බව නොපෙන්වීම සහ නීතීඥවරු කිහිප දෙනෙකුගේ වැරදි හැසිරීම් සම්බන්ධයෙන් පරීක්ෂාකර නීතිය ක්‍රියාත්මක කරන ලෙස පුරවැසියන් විසින් ශ්‍රී ලංකා නීතීඥ සංගමයට 2021.07.20 දින බාර දුන් පැමිණිල්ල  සම්බන්ධයෙන් සාධාරණ පරීක්ෂණයක් පැවැත්වීම අත්‍යාවශ්‍ය වන්නේ එහෙයිනි.
මාධ්‍ය අංශය
වෛද්‍ය තිලක පද්මා සුබසිංහ අනුස්මරණ නීතිඅධ්‍යයන වැඩසටහන,