Tests positive during home quarantine; patient in hospital and family and neighbours in quarantine

People who were living in close proximity to the person who was diagnosed with COVID-19 during his home quarantine period have been taken to quarantine centres, the Health Ministry’s Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said on Friday.

This person who had arrived in Sri Lanka from abroad in mid-June had completed his mandatory 14-day quarantine at a centre and then gone home with advice to be in quarantine there for another 14 days, said Dr. Samaraweera, explaining that an RT-PCR test done during his home- stay came positive on July 2 (Thursday). As he was living in a congested area with homes set very close to each other coming under the Colombo Municipal Council, more than 150 people have been moved into quarantine centres.

“Precautions similar to those taken at Bandaranayake Mawatha in Keselwatte are being carried out to prevent disease transmission as houses are quite close together and people share toilets,” he said.

Another source said that the patient from the Kotahena area was a seaman who had come from Australia and had been in quarantine at the Boossa centre. The RT-PCR test done there had been negative. It was during his subsequent home quarantine that the test on the 8th day became positive.

The man is in hospital and his family including his wife, two children and his parents are at the Kandakadu quarantine centre, as also 152 people from that area, the source added.