Special quarantine centre to be set-up for drug addicts

COLOMBO (News 1st): Moves are afoot to set-up a quarantine centre for drug addicts as they are highly vulnerable to COVID-19, state authorities said. The process of collecting data has already commenced, police noted. Health officials have observed that people addicted to narcotics are highly vulnerable to COVID-19 which has been spreading in the country since March 11. Approximately 63,000 people in the Western Province - in which the virus has been spreading rapidly - are addicted to narcotics, National Dangerous Drugs Control Board data show. The districts of Colombo, Kalutara, and Gampaha in the Western Province have been identified as high risk zones for the spread of COVID-19. Sri Lanka has recorded 690 total cases of the virus, with 162 recoveries and seven deaths, while capital Colombo accounts for 158 cases - the highest among all districts.