Navy Commander dismisses claims surrounding COVID-19 spread in Welisara

According to the Defence Ministry the Navy Commander said the rumors that Navy personnel deployed to arrest drug-addicts and individuals suspected of being positive with coronavirus are in the Naval Base is entirety baseless and incorrect.

He said Navy personnel were engaged in coronavirus control programs based on calculated risk assessments and in consideration of safety and health hazards to personnel involved particularly to the coronavirus preventive measures taken in ‘Suduwella’, Ja-Ela.

Out of 578 coronavirus infected sailors, a total of 237 naval personnel been discharged so far.

He said steps were taken to systematically evacuate naval personnel in keeping with expert opinions and supervision of the healthcare authorities to quarantine facilities.

The move was initiated as a precautionary measure based on instructions received by epidemiologists to minimize the further spread of the pandemic among navy personnel at Welisara.

According to the Defence Ministry the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy had said security in the perimeter of the base had been strengthened with additional troops.

The Vice-Admiral has said the Navy’s involvement from Suduwella to Nagalagam Street in Colombo possibly averted a major health catastrophe from unfolding in the country.

According to Vice Admiral Silva, the sailors in the Base has been transferred to proper quarantine centers to minimize the spread.

The Defence Ministry went on to note the Head of the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak and Sri Lanka Army Commander Lt.Gen. Shavendra Silva had said sailors were infected during the Suduwella incident and there was no possibility for them to get infected from somewhere else.