IT IS A CASE OF WORRY BUT WE WILL MANAGE IT - ARMY CHIEF

Rehabilitation Centre emerges as new COVID cluster There maybe more cases as PCR testing continue This will be a cluster because it is within the camp Patient zero is yet to be detected Some of those who tested positive were drug addicts who were nabb

Army Commander Lt. General Shavendra Silva said the recovery of 57 Covid-19 infected persons from Kandakadu Drug Rehabilitation Centre was a case of worry but they will soon manage it.

His comments came following the detection of 56 new Covid-19 patients from the Kandakadu Drug Rehabilitation Centre yesterday and one counsellor from the Centre who was residing in Marawila tested positive for the virus, making it a new COVID-19 cluster in Sri Lanka.

Army Commander Lt. General Shavendra Silva told Daily Mirror that all inmates from the rehabilitation centre were in quarantine and yesterday 56 inmates and one lady counsellor tested positive and more cases could be detected in the coming days.

“This will be a cluster because it is within the camp. Already 57 numbers are positive and even more might be positive. This is a worry but because it is within the rehabilitation centre we are trying to manage it and we remain positive it will all be under control,” Silva said.

While patient zero is yet to be detected,

Silva said that some of those who tested positive were drug addicts who were nabbed in Suduwella and some other areas. While they were all subjected to PCR tests before being sent to the Rehabilitation Centre, which came negative, they would have further developed the virus while under rehabilitation at the Centre, Silva explained.

It was during a raid to catch drug addicts in Suduwella that the Navy personnel were infected with the navy camp later transforming into the largest COVID-19 cluster in Sri Lanka.

The navy cluster has now been successfully deactivated.

Silva said that with one counsellor from the rehabilitation centre testing positive, immediate steps had been taken to quarantine her family members while authorities confirmed that contact tracing was ongoing to detect all her associates, to send them into isolation.

“This instructor had gone on leave, and all others on leave were immediately taken into quarantine. When the PCR tests were conducted, one instructor tested positive. Their families have all been taken into quarantine, and we will check if they are positive,” Silva said. Till last night over 450 inmates from the Kandakadu Rehabilitation Centre had been subjected to PCR testing.