Coronavirus guidelines for SriLankan crews flying to China

A Health Ministry Experts Committee met last morning to draw up guidelines for SriLankan Airlines crews who fly in and out of China which has been hit by the spread of a new coronavirus, the Sunday Times learns.

Health Services DirectorGeneral Dr. Anil Jasinghe appointed the four- member Experts Committee to set out the guidelines on a request made by the Pilots’ Guild on Friday afternoon.

“We acted swiftly as soon as the Pilots’ Guild made the request and the Experts Committee met last morning, even though it was Poya. The committee members sat down with representatives of the Pilots’ Guild and the Civil Aviation Authority to get an understanding of the setting in which the airline crews work before undertaking the task of drawing up guidelines,” Dr. Jasinghe said.

The Director- General who is due to get the draft guidelines soon said such guidelines were vital as the 2019-nCoV, which was first detected in Wuhan, was not only being detected in other areas in China but also across the world.

The Experts Committee comprises Public Health Services Deputy Director- General Dr. Paba Palihawadana; Consultant Epidemiologist Dr. Samitha Ginige of the Epidemiology Unit; Consultant Physician Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama attached to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases ( NIID), Angoda; and Consultant Medical Virologist Dr. Jude Jayamaha who is Head of the National Influenza Centre at the Medical Research Institute (MRI), Colombo.

The Sunday Times learns that SriLankan Airlines has been operating seven flights a week to the three destinations of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou ( Canton) in China since February 6, having reduced the number from an earlier total of 15.

Meanwhile, the Chinese tourist – so far the only case of imported nCoV detected in Sri Lanka – is well, the Sunday Times learns, while the 33 Sri Lankans who were flown to Mattala from the locked- down city of Wuhan on February 1 and are being quarantined in Diyatalawa are said to be in good health.

“The Chinese tourist who was detected with the nCoV on January 27 is well, but we are keeping her at the NIID until she is fit for air travel back to China,” said Consultant Physician Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama.

The Sri Lankan returnees from Wuhan, meanwhile, may be able to go home next Friday, it is understood.

Even with numerous appeals by the health authorities not to stigmatize or shun the Chinese, the once- busy and popular Chinese restaurants recorded a major drop in customer numbers ( see box) and many in the city noticed with dismay trishaw drivers heading towards tourists and then swerving away on seeing that they were Chinese.

Exper t s re i t e r ate that the nCoV is less in severity than the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS), but more transmissible from humanto-human.

Simple precautions being urged are constant hand- washing with soap and water and avoidance of touching the face to prevent any virus which causes a respiratory infection being transmitted from a contaminated surface to a person’s body through the mouth, nose and eyes.