Matara hotel owner slams officials over COVID scare

The Matara hotel owner, who lodged a COVID- suspect Russian airline crew member and 14 others, has accused the authorities of trying to make them the scapegoat for failure in health procedures at the Mattala airport ( MRIA) as buck-passing continued amidst an official inquiry.

Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said an antibody test done on the Russian came positive today and this meant that he had a past COVID infection.

The crew member, who had flown with others on a return flight to the BIA and then MRIA from Bangalore in India, and was warded at Hambantota, has been discharged and was due to fly back to Russia from the BIA yesterday. The others have already left Sri Lanka to a still undisclosed destination.

The Russian tested positive on Wednesday when the 15 of them had got tests done at a private hospital prior to their scheduled departure the next day. Subsequent tests, after he was taken to the Hambantota COVID-19 Treatment Centre, had turned out to be negative.

The crew had visited supermarkets in and around Matara triggering fears mid-week that the southern city would have to be placed on a lockdown after the discovery of the COVID positive pilot.

Chairman of the 20-room Amaloh Beach Boutique Resort told the Sunday

Times he had been given the go-ahead to house the crew by the MRIA and he knew something was wrong only after soldiers surrounded his hotel.

Airport and Aviation Services Chairman (Ret) Major General G.A. Chandrasiri admitted to what he called a “small mistake” in the documentation and said the matter was being sorted out.

Public Health Inspectors and health officials said they were unaware of the presence of the Russians.