SIS plays crucial role to combat COVID-19

State Intelligence Service detects, isolates COVID-19 cases and traces associates

by Zulfick Farzan 03-04-2020 | 2:28 PM
DIG Ajith Rohana said the State Intelligence Service is carrying out an all important role in preventing the spread of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, ever since the first case was detected in the island. In Sri Lanka, so far 01 Chinese national and 147 Sri Lankans tested positive for COVID-19. He said Sri Lanka is the only country which is engaged in such a mammoth task to combat COVID-19. DIG Ajith Rohana said after a COVID-19 patient is detected, he or she is treated with medication in isolation. He said the next step is to locate those who associated the coronavirus patient, and those who associated them, and so on. He stressed this task is solely carried out by the State Intelligence Agency. DIG Ajith Rohana went on to note, after the first local COVID-19 case was detected in Sri Lanka on the 11th of March, cases were detected from Mattegoda, Marawila, Nugegoda, Beruwala, Dehiwala, Colombo 08, Kuliyapitiya, Wennappuwa, Ja-ela, Ratmalana, Akurana, Nattandiya, Colombo 04, Atalugama, Bandaragama, Puttlam, Wellampitiya and Jaffna. The 147 COVID-19 cases are those with direct or indirect contact with people living in the aforementioned areas. The sudden spike in cases on Wednesday(01) in Puttlam, were those who had direct contact with the coronavirus patient who toured Indonesia and returned to the country, who was subject to quarantine. DIG Ajith Rohana said, experts believe the virus is not spreading within Sri Lankan communities. He said the spread of the virus is contained due to the efforts taken by the State Intelligence Service to detect and isolate COVID-19 cases and trace associates. DIG Ajith Rohana said it is important for the people to reveal the truth when they seek medical assistance and support the efforts of the State Intelligence Service to trace those who they associated.