Authorities warn of strict COVID regulations due to spike in numbers

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka's Ministry of Health has warned that strict COVID-19 health guidelines could be enforced, taking into account the increasing rate of COVID-19 cases daily.

Deputy Director-General of Public Health Services, Dr. Hemantha Herath said there is a risk of COVID-19 cases further increasing in the future, given the spread of the DELTA variant and therefore, everyone must act responsibly in adherence to COVID-19 health guidelines.

He said, "If the situation continues in this manner, the country could face another high-risk situation. Therefore, strcit restrictions could once again be imposed like in the month of May, if the situation worsens."

Dr. Hemantha Herath said cases of the DELTA coronavirus variant were detected from the Western, Northern, Eastern and the Southern provinces.

Whilst pointing out that based on tests conducted so far, less than 100 cases of the DELTA variant have been confirmed through samples obtained from various parts of the country, Deputy Director-General of Public Health Services, Dr. Hemantha Herath stressed, "However, there is a possibility of more cases of the DELTA variant being present within the community."