COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka

On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.

Additionally, the ministry issued a recommendation that infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people who have chronic diseases should avoid visiting crowded places when possible.

[51] On 17 March, the secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Kamal Gunaratne revealed that around 170 passengers who returned from Italy and South Korea had skipped the quarantine procedure.

[67] On 28 March, the first confirmed death from COVID-19 was recorded in Sri Lanka:[68] a 60-year-old patient from Marawila who had a kidney transplant and had a history of diabetes and high blood pressure.

[166] On 19 October 2020, the Negombo shopping complex closed after a clothing store owner and his wife tested positive for COVID-19; they had attended a wedding ceremony in Divulapitiya.

[248][249] On 6 October, Sri Lankan Army Commander Lt. General Shavendra Silva stated at a press conference that the total number of cases from the Brandix cluster reached 706.

On 7 October, Opposition MPs Harsha de Silva and Manusha Nanayakkara inquired whether the new cluster emerged from the transmission of the virus from Indian nationals invited by Brandix.

[188] On 11 October 2020, the Sri Lankan Army commander said that Periakadei and Pattithottam, two villages in the Mannar district, would be isolated due to five people from the area testing positive for COVID-19.

[278] On 12 October 2020, Sri Lankan Airlines confirmed media reports that a cargo operator employee who worked at the Bandaranaike International Airport tested positive for COVID-19.

[283][284][285] On 15 March, Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa proposed plans to combat COVID-19 to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation leaders during a video press conference arranged by the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi.

[287] On 16 March, the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) requested President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to extend the public holiday to one week, and close all ports of entry into the country.

[citation needed] The government has proposed plans to arrange home delivery of the essential goods to curb the coronavirus pandemic and also to control the crowd.

[299] The decision was reached by the government following the panic buying and overcrowding of public in shopping outlets and supermarkets on 23 March after the removal of curfew temporarily.

[citation needed] On 24 March, the government issued a statement that a special task force was established to effectively and efficiently regulate and conduct the distribution of essential commodities.

[303] The Police DIG, Ajith Rohana, warned that there could be a possibility of more undisclosed unconfirmed hidden coronavirus cases due to the reluctance of carriers coming forward for testing and self-quarantine precautions.

[310] Rajapaksa condemned former UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe's remarks over the possibility of shortage of funds after 30 April, and criticized him for politicizing the current coronavirus pandemic.

[313] On 11 May 2020, the Sri Lankan government lifted the curfew that had been in place since the start of the pandemic, which allowed the public to return to work under the condition that social distancing is maintained.

[327] On 10 February 2021, following growing international criticism of the practice of forced cremations, Sri Lanka's prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa indicated in Parliament that burials for COVID-19 victims would be allowed.

[340] Six suspects who were involved in relief distribution have been arrested mainly for conducting such an event amid coronavirus and for not maintaining proper hygienic measures and ignoring the ban on public gatherings.

[361] On 18 March, the Sri Lanka Police imposed an emergency curfew in Puttalam, Negombo, Kochikade, and Chilaw, as 800 returnees from Italy were speculated to have visited those areas,[362][363] before being officially confirmed by Silva.

The government announced that the curfew would be lifted from most parts of the country from 23 March except Colombo, Gampaha, Jaffna, Kilinochi, and Mulaitivu to encourage the rural public to engage in retail purchases.

[385] The founder of the Alibaba Group, Jack Ma, announced his plans to help the Asian countries affected by the coronavirus, including Sri Lanka, by providing essential emergency supplies such as masks and test kits.

[395] Atlas Axillia, a subsidiary of the Hemas Group, developed the Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) robot, which is able to carry food and medicine, perform basic medical check-ups such as checking temperatures, and allow doctors to monitor patients remotely and have conversations with them.

SLINTEC identified the materials required and studied the manufacturing process and available facilities, which were then transferred to Hi Fashion Ltd., who began producing swabs with Lady Ridgeway Hospital.

[407][408] The Sri Lankan government insisted that the public not unnecessarily panic about the pandemic, and revealed that there was no shortage of essential items in the country, including petroleum and food.

[429][430] A song titled "Nagitumu Sri Lanka" was released by the Gammadda initiative as a part of the MTV/MBC network to pay tribute to the people of the country to rise up again by showing resilience against the COVID-19 pandemic.

[459] On 10 October, Sri Lanka Railways published a special train timetable for providing transportation facilities to students sitting the Advanced Level and Grade Five Scholarship examinations.

[citation needed] The Sri Lankan government imposed a ban on public gatherings for two weeks amid COVID-19 fears, and mandated that permission should be received from police.

As a result, the ACJU suspended the board of trustees of the mosque in question, issued a statement praising the government, and requested action against those spreading hate speech due to the incidents.

[531][532][533] On 9 June 2020, Black Lives Matter protests were staged by activists, followers, and supporters of the Frontline Socialist Party in response to the murder of George Floyd in front of the US Embassy in Kollupitiya, Colombo.