GMOA says Colombo at risk due to COVID-19

COLOMBO (News1st): Government Medical Officers Association, General Secretary, Dr. Haritha Aluthge says that the contagious disease COVID-19 is spreading rapidly and it is difficult to ascertain the exact amount of infected individuals in the Colombo district. “Who is going to take responsibility for the consequences of delayed decision making?. Police curfew imposed on areas such as Puttalam and Negombo was lifted at 8 this morning enabling everyone in that zone to roam freely,” Dr. Aluthge said. He further added, “Is this what’s being recommended by the health sector? Who made this decision?” Dr. Aluthge outlined the severity of the situation by initiating a lockdown. He said, “Who can assure us that these people who were living in Puttalam did not enter the Colombo border endangering the lives of people in Colombo”. “If this needs to be removed permanently, a lockdown must be imposed." “A Pradeshiya Sabha member in Kegalle, works at the health office in the Bandaranaike International Airport, as a health assistant. For how many election meetings did he attend while he was down with fever? How many attended the bodhi pooja he organized? There were around 300 to 400 people. We cant divide this into areas now,” the GMOA General Secretary noted. “If this has been exposed to 2000 to 3000 people through one person, it will be difficult for the medical officers from the respective areas to identify all those infected,” he added. GMOA, Deputy Secretary, Dr. Naveen De Zoysa queried as to why those who were brought down from India were not quarantined. "The outcome of that will be out in 14 days. These experts and pundits must explain how the country will have to be locked down when these people are continued to be brought back to the country," Dr. De Zoysa added.