COLOMBO (News 1st): Around 200 employees at the Minuwangoda apparel factory are scheduled to be either hospitalized or quarantined today (Oct. 08), the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) said.

“202 apparel workers from the Minuwangoda factory tested positive for the virus yesterday, taking the total number of infected workers in this cluster to 1034. Family members of those who are currently admitted to hospitals will also be quarantined,” Army Commander – Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva told News 1st on Thursday.

Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, who heads the NOCPCO, urged the people to avoid unnecessary travel and follow health guidelines as authorities are still in the process of contact tracing the infected individuals in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus.

“It is the social responsibility of everyone to inform authorities and undergo PCR tests if anyone maintained contacts with apparel workers from the Minuwangoda factory in the past 10 days,” the Army Commander emphasized.

As of Thursday morning (Oct. 08), the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Sri Lanka stands at 4459.

A total of 207 positive COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the country, yesterday (Oct. 07).

Of the total cases, 1172 active patients are receiving treatment, while 3274 have been discharged following recovery.

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