Mar 25 (AD) Many political party representatives have expressed their support for a national programme to prevent the spread of coronavirus, instead of convening a Parliament session. A meeting to discuss the current situation prevailing in the island, prompted by the Coronavirus outbreak was worked off under the patronage of PM Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Temples Trees this morning (24). more..

Mar 25 (AD) Veteran film producer Tissa Nagodavithana has passed away at the age of 78, according to family sources. He was receiving treatment at a private hospital when he passed away this evening. In 1984, Nagodavithana directed and produced the famous movie Kekille Rajjuruwo. He also directed the popular movie Kolamkarayo which was released in 1981. He later became a prominent figure in the SL film industry due to the preservation of many old Sri Lankan films. more..

Mar 25 (AFP) Prince Charles, the eldest son and heir to Queen Elizabeth II, is showing mild symptoms of Covid-19 but "otherwise remains in good health", his office said on Wednesday (25). The 71-year-old and his wife Camilla - who does not have Covid-19 - are currently self-isolating in Scotland, Clarence House said. "The Prince of Wales has tested positive for Covid-19," it said in a statement, using his official title. "He has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise more..

Mar 25 (EN) Sri Lanka�s Colombo airport is serving daily and weekly flights facilitating international transit passengers and export-import cargo of the last remaining global hubs amid a Coronavirus pandemic as airports are closed, transit is banned and carriers grounded across the world. Sri Lanka stopped all inbound travelers on March 19, but is permitting outbound travelers, cargo, humanitarian and emergency landings fulfilling as the key South Asian aviation hub. more..

Mar 25 (DM) A 70-year-old Sri Lankan man in Messina, Italy, has been found dead inside his residence, the Foreign Relations Ministry said today. However, a ministry spokesperson said the cause of the death was not yet known and that the Ministry was in contact with the SL Missions in Italy to ascertain the cause of death. Meanwhile, the Ministry denied reports of a group of Sri Lankans in Italy testing positive for COVID-19 and said that they were in self-quarantine. more..

Mar 25 (AD) Another batch of people who had been at the quarantine centers will be released from the quarantine process today (25). 201 people will be leaving the quarantine centers today. Accordingly, 57 persons from the Punani quarantine center and 144 from the Kandakadu quarantine center are set to be sent home. The first batch of 311 persons went home yesterday (24) after completing the 14-day quarantine process. more..

Mar 25 (EN) Colombo will today begin distribution 50,000 parcels of dry rations free of charge to city dwellers whose livelihoods are affected by the COVID19, the city�s mayor said. Colombo Mayor Rosy Senanayake said that nearly 60% of the nearly 800,000 people who live in the Municipality are daily wage earners who live precarious lives. �The curfews and other restrictions imposed by the govt to restrict movements and limit human interactions has also reduced economic activity and more..

Mar 25 (AD) Considering the prevailing situation in the country, a program of delivery and sale of essential consumer goods such as food, medicine, gas, and other services to homes will be launched today. Govt has directed wholesale dealers to deliver essential consumer goods to the doorstep of each household until the situation is brought under control. The program will be carried out by the Co-operative Wholesale Establishment in collaboration with Sathosa, Keells, Laugfs, Arpico, more..

Mar 25 (EN) Sri Lanka�s state-sector union of Medical Doctors is warning that when the currently imposed restrictions are lifted the country could progress to the next stage of the COVID19 pandemic. The GMOA in a paper presented to the govt says �it can be assumed that between the period of March 25 and April 7 if social distancing is not carried out, the numbers (of those infected with COVID19) will face a rapid increase.� more..

Mar 25 (AD) Another patient who had tested as positive for COVID-19, has recovered from the disease. Reportedly, the completely recovered person was discharged from IDH in Angoda today. This would be the third patient in Sri Lanka to have recovered from the virus including the Chinese female who made a recovery back in February. Earlier this week, the first Sri Lankan who tested positive for COVID-19 was also discharged from the IDH after making a complete recovery. more..

Mar 25 (AD) Police has taken 2,682 curfew violators into custody so far since the curfew was re-imposed at 6 p.m. on Friday (20). A total of 706 vehicles were also seized along the arrestees. Police warned of strict legal action against the people who violate a countrywide curfew. In a statement, police said those who violate the curfew will be immediately arrested, even without a warrant, and legal action will be taken against them. Within the last 24 hours, police have arrested 420 people who violated more..

Mar 25 (EN) There may be more true, unconfirmed cases of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka than the official count indicates as there is a hidden community of carriers that are reluctant to come forward, DIG Ajith Rohana said. He said as is the case with AIDS, patients and their families are hesitant to reveal their symptoms and in some cases actively try to hide their condition. Health officials at the discussion recommended releasing a video more..

Mar 25 (Stuff) Bill Stevenson and his family went to Sri Lanka for a holiday. They are now stranded, and the only guests in an otherwise empty hotel. The Christchurch man is calling on the Govt to provide more support to New Zealanders stuck overseas as a result of countries imposing travel restrictions and airlines slashing flights due to the coronavirus pandemic. Other countries have organised mercy flights to repatriate their citizens. "There's obviously opportunities to get us out, more..

Mar 25 (NR) Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi says no new coronavirus cases have been reported as of 4.30pm today. Speaking at the National Operation Center for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak the Minister said the number of coronavirus cases reported in Sri Lanka continues to remain at 102. 99 individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 are receiving treatment in three hospitals. 88 COVID-19 patients are being treated at National Institute of Infectious more..

Mar 25 (AN) Sri Lankans from all walks of life hailed relief measures introduced by Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday, as the country continues to grapple with economic difficulties caused by the global COVID-19 outbreak. Some of the measures include the launch of a �COVID-19 Healthcare and Social Security Fund,� with an initial capital of $525,000, to aid those directly impacted by the crisis. more..

Mar 25 (TM) Prez Rajapaksa has requested int'l lending agencies to provide a debt moratorium or debt deferment facility to all vulnerable developing nations fighting the coronavirus pandemic. President has urged Director General of the World Health Organization to forward this request to multi-lateral and bilateral lending agencies. Prez has pointed out that the relief would be helpful to manage COVID-19 Social Distancing, Public Health and Social Security Systems in virus hit countries. more..

Mar 25 (EN) Sri Lanka�s is not yet advising the public to wear masks but is asking to wash hands and not to touch the mouth nose or eyes and maintain distance of at least one meter from the next person instead. Paba Palihawadana, a doctor at Sri Lanka�s Health Promotion Bureau says many people are wearing surgical masks incorrectly. Sri Lanka is advising people to wash hands frequently for at least 20 seconds with soap, or use sanitizer if available and maintain distance. more..

Mar 25 (AD) The currently ongoing curfew in all districts except Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara and the Northern Province will be temporarily lifted at 6 am tomorrow (26), stated President�s Media Division (PMD). The PMD notes the following revisions to the curfew imposed across the country. Curfew imposed in Colombo, Gampaha, and Kalutara districts will remain in effect until further notice. more..

Mar 25 (EN) Washington-based World Bank has together with the IMF, asked creditor countries to suspend debt repayments of poor countries that were classed as eligible to receive loans from its concessionary window as a Coronavirus outbreak hit the world. About the quarter of the world population lived in countries that qualified for International Development Assistance (IDA) credit, the Bretton Woods twins said. �With immediate effect�and consistent with national laws of the creditor more..

Mar 25 (TE) Maldivian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid, on Tuesday, held a telephone conversation with Sri Lankan counterpart Minister of Foreign Affairs Dinesh Gunawardena, in which the latter agreed to provide medical personnel as assistance, should the need arise, in combatting the global COVID-19 pandemic. Noting the escalating situation of the pandemic, Minister Shahid commended the Sri Lankan government in their efforts to deter the spread of COVID-19. more..

Mar 25 (DM) The office of a popular retail website- Kapruka.com- based in Colombo was seized by the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) today for selling goods for exorbitant prices. The website has listed one tin of canned fish at a price of Rs.550, a kilo of big onion for Rs. 500, a kilo of dhal for Rs.180 and a kilo of wheat flour for Rs. 350. CAA said company has agreed to pay back the excess amount they have charged from consumers. more..

Mar 26 (CT) People reacted to sudden decisions. It was not the fault of our public. It was sad to see images on social media of crowded public spaces, panic purchasing of groceries and rushing to catch the public transportation to go for safety to their loved ones despite the warning of social distancing, that too after a curfew declaration. Where did we go wrong and why are we never proactive as a nation?? There were inquiries as to what the National Security Think Tank is doing. more..

Mar 26 (CT) Gota has attracted praise for his handling of the Covid-19 crisis. A largely hortatory outpouring is Sarath de Alwis said: �Although I have written plenty opposing his politics and quest for the presidency, I (am) happy he (is) president in this hour of peril�. He makes a valid point that had cockless Ranil been in charge the nation would be at sixes and sevens and clueless Sira would not know the difference between a virus, a viper and a windscreen wiper. more..

Mar 26 (CT) To control the devastating effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Govt has taken precautions to prevent the disease from entering the country by stopping all arrivals by air and through sea ports. However, a number of persons who had entered the country prior to these restrictions still evade scrutiny and are identified as a high-risk group. Information system for surveillance of COVID-19 When more..

Mar 26 (GV) Nominations for the parliamentary elections of 2020 closed late last week and barely an hour after the close of nominations, the Elections Commission made its widely expected announcement that the poll would be postponed until the threat to public health through the rapid potential spread of the Covid-19 or Coronavirus has been contained. How long that would take is anybody�s guess, though the experience in China, the nation where it all began, more..

Mar 26 (Island) Spread of the Coronavirus is an int'l calamity. Even though an island, SL has not been able to insulate itself from the global impact of the pandemic. Country had an opportunity to miminise the impact of the pandemic if it had acted earlier. It had an early warning when, at the end of January, a Chinese tourist developed symptoms of the virus while in the country and was treated successfully. This incident could have set off alarm bells that others too might be similarly infected. more..

Mar 26 (TM) The ongoing heatwave has increased the amount of water consumed by the public. But with little to no rainfall reported from the catchment areas, Sri Lanka�s groundwater levels and quality seems to be fast depleting. As of 14 March, the island was reporting the onset of drought conditions in seven districts, namely Kegalle, Ratnapura, Kandy, Kalutara, Gampaha, Puttalam, and Matara. more..

Mar 26 (CT) SL is on the threshold of a crippling world health crisis. So far, we have reported a little over 100 cases with three recoveries and two critical cases. A number of countries around the globe, some affluent and with advanced medical facilities, are faltering under the staggering number of cases and deaths. Yet, timely intervention by the authorities, which introduced stringent control criteria as soon as the first few cases were reported from the country, has now been able to more..

Mar 26 (TM) The much-anticipated 2020 general election has been postponed and it is believed that the next date for the election could be pushed back to either late May or early June. However, EC after taking into consideration the situation in the country as well as the handling of Covid-19, is expected to announce its decision on Wednesday (25). Calls were made from all corners of the country calling on the Prez and Govt to announce the postponement of the general election more..

Mar 26 (FT) HSBC, largest international bank in SL, said it is offering a range of relief measures for its personal and corporate customers given the challenges presented by the ongoing novel-Coronavirus pandemic. The bank announced that it will provide these relief measures with immediate effect. This will be further backed by community relief measures to help local healthcare authorities combat the outbreak. HSBC SL remains committed to supporting the community in adversity. more..

Mar 26 (DN) The Ceylon Fisheries Corporation has accelerated the purchasing of fish from fishermen, the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ministry said, It said a programme to buy fish from the owners of fishing vessels commenced at Dickovita Fisheries Harbour on Tuesday and this would be extended to all other fisheries harbours in the next couple of days. Minister Douglas Devananda visited the harbour to inspect the progress of this project. The release said that Minister would discuss more..

Mar 26 (FT) Former MP Mangala Samaraweera criticised Prez Rajapaksa and the present Govt for failing to postpone the upcoming General Election until after nominations had been submitted, calling the nominations process and associated activity a great public health hazard that went ahead despite the rest of the nation being advised to stay at home. He also took the present administration to task for failing to more..

Mar 26 (DN) Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASMET) is hopeful that the President and govt of SL will act in favor of supporting SME�s through the next few critical months and ensure the long-term viability of this key income earning sector for SL, ASMET said in a press release. �This assistance will ensure that when this crisis passes, we can expect the strong return of SL tourism,� it said. �ASMET would first and foremost like to the President for his decisive actions more..

Mar 26 (ET) The traffic is almost as thick as the heat hanging over the streets of Colombo, but I�m just glad to be here, in the passenger seat of a cool, air-conditioned car, sitting next to Uranius Fernando, a tour operator filling in the gaps as a ride-share driver. Having arrived earlier that morning by ship, sitting on my balcony as we cruised in past massive stacks of shipping containers and waving workmen, we docked next to a huge cargo ship. Disembarking, connecting with my big-bearded driver more..

Mar 26 (CT) In the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the committee appointed to make recommendations on the possibility of providing legal redress for prisoners who have been charged with or have committed minor offences, and those unable to meet bail conditions, envisions, in an ideal scenario, the release of 5,000-6,000 prisoners. The committee expressed hope that the entire process, including the release of prisoners, in spite of more..

Mar 26 (SLN) SL Navy today (25) rendered assistance to get ready essential customer goods to be distributed among the general public. The govt is making speedy arrangements to distribute essential customer goods without a fail among the general public even amidst curfew hours following the threat of coronavirus. Accordingly, SL Navy rendered its assistance to get ready the essential items at the Sathosa stores in Enderamulla. Meanwhile, Commander of the Navy, more..

Mar 26 (FT) Cabinet yesterday approved extensive measures proposed by Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa to assist low income families, business and other individuals affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus. Most of the support measures were announced by the Prez on Monday but got formal Cabinet nod yesterday. The proposals include providing low income groups and elders with a weekly bag of essential consumer items through the Samurdhi Authority. more..

Mar 26 (FT) Power and Energy Ministry yesterday assured that there would be no interruptions in the supply of power, stating that there had been a drop in demand compared to last week. The current demand is less than 40 GWh per day, with 33 GWh recorded on Tuesday and 39 GWh recorded on Monday. According to Ministry Media Spokesperson Sulakshana Jayawardena, demand was 49 GWh last week. more..