-COVID-19 app introduced to President

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday emphasized the need of conducting random PCR tests covering the entire country to identify COVID-19 patients, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.

The President highlighted this during a meeting of the Task Force on COVID-19 Prevention held at the Presidential Secretariat.

In a statement, the PMD said the members of the Task Force meet at the  Presidential Secretariat on a daily basis.

At the meeting, President said a total of 41,000 people, including first and second associates, have been quarantined to prevent the virus from spreading.

“It is important to comprehensively understand the causes of the increase in COVID-19 infected patients on several occasions, and to prevent its recurrence. Random tests were carried out continuously within the limits of Colombo Municipality. However, unexpected COVID-19 clusters emerged near the Peliyagoda Fish Market and in Minuwangoda,” he said.

He said random tests should be carried out at economic centers including Dambulla.

The President stated that it is the social responsibility of people from all walks of life to follow health guidelines to the maximum possible extent.

Meanwhile, President Rajapaksa commenting on the curfew that has been imposed in the Western Province said curfew violators should severely be dealt with.

Curfew passes will not be issued by any Police Station. However, cases of extreme urgency will be exempted.

Meanwhile, the Western Province Health Services Office introduced a new mobile app designed for the benefit of those who are in the medical sector and combatting COVID-19 operations to President Rajapaksa at the meeting.

The new app will be instrumental in providing a wealth of vital data, including information on COVID infected, their close associates, quarantine, PCR testing services, observations, decision making and areas closest to the infected, the PMD said.