Health security mission to protect military camps
Starting with the Rangala navy camp and the Katunayake airbase on Thursday, they went to the Akure god a Tr i-Forces Headquarters and Mattakkuliya army camp the next day and will gradually expand their ‘ health security’ mission by fanning out across the country.
This is what the six-member Task Force, appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to ensure the health security of all armed forces personnel, headed by Governor of the Western Province Marshal of the Sri Lanka Air Force Roshan Goonetileke has been engaged in this week.
The other members of the Special Presidential Task Force are former Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Admiral ( Retired) Jayantha Perera; Director- General of the Department of Civil Defence Rear Admiral ( Retired) Ananda Peiris; Major General Sumedha Per era; and medical specialists Dr. Band ula Wijesiriwardena, Dr. Vajira Senaratne and Dr. I. L. K. Jayarathna.
Commending all those working at the ‘ frontline’, battling the ‘ invisible destroyer’ that is the highly transmissible new corona virus, Mr. Goonetileke says along with the medical staff and grassroots level health staff, the military personnel have been at the forefront not only maintaining law and order but also heavily supporting contact tracing.
“These military personnel are playing an important role and they may sometimes get exposed,” he said.
The thinking behind this mission is that the whole country is a unit with the military being a smaller unit within this. The necessity is to stop the virus spreading from this small unit to the bigger unit which comprises the public.
“If we didn’t take control of the Welisara issue, where the navy acted with alacrity, the possibility of the virus spreading to other places was great. This is why the
President decided to call back all military personnel,” he said.
Explaining that the Task Force has been instructed by the President to visit all camps, big and small, dotting the country, Mr. Goonetileke told the Sunday Times that as there are a large number, they had begun their mission from Colombo and would cover the Western Province first because the issues were more here. They briefed the Directors of Health Services of the three services on what needs to be adjusted in facing the danger of the new coronavirus.
The camp inspections are to ensure that the verbal instructions have been complied with. “Ensuring compliance will be done by us as we will be going as inspectors to check,” he said.
When asked about the spread of COVID- 19 among navy personnel, he said that all of them have been traced and their families are being accommodated in comfortable surroundings. “There’s a little bit of humour there as well because one family which had been taken to an apartment/ hotel had been urging their navy relative who was infected to come join them.”
The Task Force has not visited the Welisara camp as COVID- 19 patients are being accommodated there.
A visit to the Akuregoda Tri- Forces Headquarters, meanwhile, has been necessitated because of the large number of construction workers still within its boundaries.
They are also setting down some “simple” instructions which would be passed down to the forces by Defence Secretary Major General (Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne. These instructions include: · Operational teams going out of the camp should be kept as separate units – housed apart from others, having their meals in the mess at different times and moving out and in from the camp separately. Operational units to be adequately protected with face- masks, etc. All members of operational teams would have to be tested for COVID-19 before they go on leave in the future and also when they report back for duty. Then even if there is an outbreak of the disease, that can be contained within that particular group.
· The cancellation of entertainment programmes conducted by the armed service personnel for the public, to ensure minimal exposure to the infection. The airman who tested positive had been part of such programme. However, all others in the group have tested negative.
· Disinfection before leaving and on returning to the camps along with temperature checks.
· The need for social distancing. The recommendation for sleeping quarters is that the space between two beds needs to be increased along with one bunk-bed being occupied by one person. The system would be that if one person is occupying the lower bunk of one bed, the next person would occupy the upper bunk of the next bed.
· Meal times could be staggered to ensure social distancing and prevent crowding.
· Regular disinfection processes for the camps including the areas where the personnel have their meals and their washrooms
·More facilities for hand-hygiene.
· All discussions and meetings should be virtual but if a physical meet-up is necessary, to do so following the required social distancing criteria, wearing of face-masks et al.
Schools close to camps have been billeted as an extension of the camps for more accommodation and to maintain social distancing, said Mr. Gonnetileke refuting the “misconception” that they would be used as quarantine centres. This is while the schools are closed and these schools would benefit with additional minor constructions such as more washroom areas.
During their visits to camps they had made a few minor observations and the camp authorities had corrected them promptly.