The country has been able to contain the spread of the Coronavirus through a tireless effort by a variety of sectors including healthcare, Security Forces, Intelligence and essential services, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said.
Addressing a forum in Colombo today, President Rajapaksa said: “In an effort to contain and control the spread of this COVID-19 pandemic, every health officer starting from the lowest level, Public health inspectors, nurses, doctors, specialists and every other officer has rendered a great service. Similarly, the Tri-Forces, police, intelligence units continue to offer their services respectively. For the purpose of resuming essential services, the ministry secretaries, divisional secretaries, have worked tirelessly in this regard. It is purely because of the efforts that this country has been able to contain the spread of this virus.
To have faced this challenge as courageously as they have during such difficult and trying times, I offer them my utmost gratitude. In 2019, in December, COVID-19 was found in Wuhan in China. By Mid-January, the awareness surrounding this virus was heightened and many other countries began to take note.
On January 26th, together with officials from the health sector, tri-forces, police and inclusion of other stakeholders, a dedicated Task Force to combat COVID-19 was instituted. By January 27th, Sri Lanka reported the first case of the virus, when it came to light that a Chinese lady had contracted the virus. By such time, Sri Lankans who were serving in foreign countries like Italy, Korea and found themselves in the crux of a pandemic. There was also an influx of Sri Lankan citizens who wished to return to the country due to the uncertain situations. By that time, we were well aware that the virus may enter our country through them. We decided on February 10th that nationals arriving from Italy, Korea, Iran and other nations would be screened and sent to quarantine facilities. We took a firm decision to ensure that all of them would be sent to the quarantine centres for isolation.
Accordingly by February 10, all individuals arriving back to the country would need to be quarantined at the various facilities and centres set up. On March 12th, all schools, universities and educational institutions in the country were closed. We ensured that they would be able to continue distance education by the use of technological means. On March 18th, we collectively decided to close down the arrivals at the airport. Even then, we were challenged to find ways to bring down, Sri Lankan devotees who were stranded in Dambadiva as they had gone on pilgrimages. There were 900 such pilgrims who we had to bring to Sri Lanka. We then arranged a special flight to bring them back and similarly to other arrivals, they too were dispatched to quarantine facilities. On March 20th to 28th, we initiated a work-from-home program, because by such time we had already enforced curfew in many parts of the country.
From January 27th to February 19th was the time period that this Chinese national had sought treatment in our country. It was only on March 11th that the first locally contracted case of the virus was reported. This individual was treated at the IDH hospital. From then on, nearly every day, we came to know of confirmed cases of the virus. Particularly, 38 of them were from quarantine centres who had contracted the virus from tourists who had arrived in the country.
On a daily basis, I kept getting reports. It is important to note that only because of this data which is available that I am able to take the right decisions. As the head of the state, I am able to decide based on this information. It must also be mentioned that the intelligence units have contributed immensely to this effort. Together with the head of the national intelligence agency we discussed this matter regularly. Because we were able to take systematic decisions, we were able to trace and identify how each individual had contracted the virus.
In any event, we are able to state how this individual contracted the virus, the places that he had visited, the people he had come into contact with. Not only the close family members, but even acquaintances that he may have come into contact with. If it was a businessman, we knew with him he had socialised and had done business with. We are able to also locate individuals who may need to isolate themselves because they have come into contact with this individual.
Without wasting much time, we were able to send them to quarantine centres. We also came to the realization that some of the cases are those individuals who had returned from overseas. Similarly we were aware that individuals who not only came from Italy, Spain, South Korea, France, Germany, England but from India, Indonesia may have also contracted the virus. As those nations later found cases in their own countries. We came to know that they too had contracted the virus when they sought medical treatment at the onset of the symptoms of the virus.
In any case, if such an individual had actually contracted the virus, we admitted him/her to the IDH hospital and conducted the PCR test. I think it is because of this that our numbers, when compared with other nations, are lower because we were able to effectively remove and isolate them from the society.
By now we are in a better position to map out how these individuals may have contracted the virus, all expect for four individuals. All these individuals, how they contracted the virus, from whom are recorded and reported to me daily.
We refer to this as contact tracing, which is the mapping of the virus. From each contact tracing we identify them as clusters. This is how the virus vector is identified, how the individuals are located, checked, and isolated so that they can be sent to quarantine centres.
In addition to this, even those who may have had some contact with those suspected of having the virus are alerted and have been asked to conduct self-quarantine at their own residences. PHIs, police visit these homes regularly to ensure that these measures are in place and followed. If we suspect that there are a greater number of suspected cases, we not only ensure that they self-quarantine, but we lockdown those vicinities. We take these measures to ensure that it does not spread among the community.
I noticed that in many foreign reports, the reason Sri Lanka was quoted as having controlled the virus to a great extent was because of contact tracing and for having used our intelligence services to its utmost potential. From the very start, we had identified the individuals, segregated their relations or those they came into contact with.
Because of the curfew, the normal livelihood had been interrupted. But we had had to put up the challenge of a virus that we cannot see. As a nation, we have had to face this collectively. We knew that people would face difficulties in getting essentials when curfew was imposed, and because of this, the government took several decisions, including giving time for people to collect rations and essentials they may need in this process. This includes dhal, tuna prices that were drastically brought down because we knew that curfew would have to be imposed.
We were aware of the Yala harvest, the need for fresh produce, and other needs of the general public which we too prioritized to ensure that it would be available. We are also aware that those depending on daily wages would be drastically affected, Those who were engaged in self-employment, three wheeler drivers, there are 1.5 million in such trades and they lost their livelihoods. Because of this we decided to provide them with immediate relief measures. Lakhs of families were compensated by the government and many more to continue.
During this period of curfew, we also decided on the services that people would continue to use. We instituted a special task force headed by Basil Rajapaksa. They have looked at every sector and have rendered a great service. They also took a decision to afford those who were dependent on monthly salaries, and pensions some relief. Their loan repayments were halted. Those who were dependent on daily wages were afforded relief in the form of allowances. Three-wheeler drivers, bus, school services who took leasing facilities were afforded relief.
We had a duty to the public to ensure that the Government assisted them in this time of need. At least four million are receiving these benefits. But we had to hasten these efforts.”