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Lockdowns/isolated areas & so-called deaths on the roads

Twenty seven police areas are in lockdown/ isolation. (See graphic above)

“The decision to impose a lockdown/ isolation of an area is taken by the Health Ministry’s Epidemiology Unit, while the police implement it,” said Deputy Inspector General ( DIG) of Police Ajith Rohana.

In such a situation, he said that people are not allowed to leave their homes under any circumstances. The exceptions to the strict travel restrictions are emergencies such as needing hospital services. Under these circumstances, people can access hospital services in their private vehicles and they do not need permission to do so. They can also call for an ambulance.

When asked about social media posts of people dying of COVID- 19 on the roads, Mr. Rohana said they were false. Investigations are underway to find who is spreading this fake news, so that action could be taken against them.

A beggar had died on the road and they were not sure of what the cause of death was but believed it to be due to natural causes. An RT-PCR test done before the postmortem had been positive, he added.

Meanwhile, Public Health Inspectors’ ( PHIs’) Union Secretary M. Balasooriya said that decisions to lockdown/isolate an area, would centre around the epidemic status, the disease distribution, the number of contacts from a positive patient and where a positive patient may have travelled to. They would be a result of discussions with the area police, the Medical Officer of Health, the PHI and the Grama Niladhaari, followed by the provincial committee and then at national level, he added.