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Colombo Municipal Council: 100,000 families to receive dry rations

26 Nov 2020

  • Random sample collections continue for PCR testing
By Sarah Hannan  The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) has made provisions to distribute dry ration packs worth Rs. 3,000 to about 70,000 families that reside within the CMC limits. The programme continued for the third day yesterday (25), when the CMC distributed dray ration packs in batches to families living in Dematagoda. During the first half of the day about 500 families received dry ration packs and the point of collection had been communicated to them; the Dematagoda Railway Ground. [caption id="attachment_106622" align="alignleft" width="300"] Mayoress of Colombo Rosy Senanayake and CMC officials distribute free rations at the Railway Ground in Dematagoda for those under isolation, 25 November 2020. Photo Pradeep Dambarage[/caption] “With several areas continuing to remain under isolation for another two weeks, we have arranged for dry ration packs to be distributed to families that are trapped in these isolated areas. While the listed families in the said areas account for 70,000, we are also making arrangements to distribute dry ration packs to an additional 30,000 families that have been affected by the loss of their daily wages, given the present situation,” Mayoress of Colombo Rosy Senanayake noted. In total, Mayoress Senanayake stated that 100,000 families will be eligible to receive the dry ration packs within this week. Last week, the Colombo Mayoress had clarified her decision to place the CMC limits under lockdown for at least a period of two weeks, noting that she would request the area to be placed under strict quarantine lockdown after looking into arranging the necessary provisions to ensure that the people are facilitated with the basic requirements to survive the said two weeks. “I firmly believe we will be able to stop the spread of this virus if we follow strict travel restrictions within the city limits at least. We have to take extra precaution at this point and consider as if every person we come across is a Covid-19-positive person. Therefore, we have to follow all the health guidelines that have been communicated to us by the healthcare services,” Mayoress Senanayake elaborated. In addition to that, the respective Medical Officers of Health have been instructed to collect nasopharyngeal swab samples for PCR testing from localities where Covid-19-positive persons are detected and where Covid-19 deaths are reported. “Rs. 5,000 was distributed to a section of our area at the beginning of this month, but later we got to know that the officials who were here to distribute the Rs. 5,000 relief too had contracted Covid-19. So only a section of our area received the Rs. 5,000. They said dry ration packs will be distributed, but we are yet to receive any. People are asked to get tested voluntarily and are not forced to give swab samples for PCR tests,” Lalitha, a resident from Maradana noted. [foogallery id="106535"]


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