121 more contacts & expatriates confirmed positive: NOCPCO

● On Saturday, 8,724 PCR tests were carried out across the country and the total PCR tests conducted so far stands at 374,448

During the 24 hours that ended at 6.00 am yesterday a total of 121 more persons were confirmed COVID-19 positive including six air passengers, the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) said yesterday.

Among the air passengers, there were two Filipino seafarers in quarantine at Hotel Best Western, one Russian seafarer at Hotel Birjaya, one seafarer from the Red Sea in quarantine at Habaraduwa Police quarantine centre, one Sri Lankan expatriate from the UAE and one Sri Lankan expatriate from South Africa in quarantine at Wind Beach Resort.

The other 115 persons were locally-identified close contacts of Minuwangoda garment factory-infected employees, states the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO).

Last morning 26 passengers arrived on flight QR 668 from Doha, qatar and all of them were sent to the tri forcesmanaged Quarantine Centres after PCR tests. Within the day,66 quarantined individuals were set to leave for their homes after PCR tests.of them, two persons are from Hotel Mount Lavinia quarantine centre, one person from Hotel Jetwing Beach quarantine centre,28 persons from Hotel Dolphin quarantine centre, seven persons from Paradise Green Hotel quarantine centre, two persons from Hotel Sheraton quarantine centre, two persons from Kalpitiya Ruwala Hotel quarantine centre,10 persons from Habaraduwa Police quarantine centre and 14 persons from Dabhakolapatuna Resort quarantine centre.

To-date,53,937 individuals have left for their homes after quarantining.as of last morning,9,386 persons in 82 tri-service-managed quarantine centres are still in quarantine. On Saturday, 8,724 PCR tests were carried out across the country and the total PCR tests conducted so far stands at 374,448.

By 6.00am yesterday (18),10 fully recovered Covid-19-affectees were discharged from hospitals. seven of them are expatriates and three were identified as close contacts of Minuwangoda garment factory-infected employees who were in quarantine centres.