By Maheesha Mudugamuwa
The health authorities are continuing investigations to determine if the source of the latest re-emergence of Covid-19 was an aircraft crew member from Ukraine who had travelled to Sri Lanka from Turkey.
[caption id="attachment_102793" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera[/caption]
Ministry of Health Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said the information received about the Ukrainian aircraft member was yet to be confirmed. “We are still investigating,” he told The Morning.
It was reported that the Intelligence Service uncovered that the Minuwangoda cluster, which resulted in the second wave of Covid-19 in Sri Lanka, originated from a Ukrainian flight crew member who had arrived from Turkey. The Ukrainian crew arrived in Sri Lanka on 11 September, it was reported.
There were 11 people in the group and they were self-quarantined at a star hotel in Seeduwa, our sister newspaper Aruna reported.
A Ukrainian national who was quarantined with the flight crew was diagnosed as having contracted Covid-19 on 13 September and was admitted to hospital.
The media report stated that although the hotel staff should have been quarantined for 14 days at the same hotel whilst the quarantine process for the crew was ongoing, 18 out of the 60 hotel staff were identified as having commuted to work from home during the first few days of the quarantine period. The 18 had reported to work from 11-13 September.
“Even though the hotel staff is also required to be quarantined for 14 days, the hotel management had allowed a group of employees to go home in defiance of the Covid-19 rules,” the media report stated. “Five of those who commuted to their homes daily were infected with Covid-19 – three of them had worked at the hotel from 11-13 September. The hotel chef and laundry worker are also in the group.”
According to the report, it is suspected that the virus had been contracted by employees at the apparel factory in Minuwangoda via these hotel employees.
However, earlier, it was alleged that the virus emerged in Minuwangoda through an Indian national employed at the factory who arrived to Sri Lanka from India.
Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera[/caption]
Ministry of Health Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said the information received about the Ukrainian aircraft member was yet to be confirmed. “We are still investigating,” he told The Morning.
It was reported that the Intelligence Service uncovered that the Minuwangoda cluster, which resulted in the second wave of Covid-19 in Sri Lanka, originated from a Ukrainian flight crew member who had arrived from Turkey. The Ukrainian crew arrived in Sri Lanka on 11 September, it was reported.
There were 11 people in the group and they were self-quarantined at a star hotel in Seeduwa, our sister newspaper Aruna reported.
A Ukrainian national who was quarantined with the flight crew was diagnosed as having contracted Covid-19 on 13 September and was admitted to hospital.
The media report stated that although the hotel staff should have been quarantined for 14 days at the same hotel whilst the quarantine process for the crew was ongoing, 18 out of the 60 hotel staff were identified as having commuted to work from home during the first few days of the quarantine period. The 18 had reported to work from 11-13 September.
“Even though the hotel staff is also required to be quarantined for 14 days, the hotel management had allowed a group of employees to go home in defiance of the Covid-19 rules,” the media report stated. “Five of those who commuted to their homes daily were infected with Covid-19 – three of them had worked at the hotel from 11-13 September. The hotel chef and laundry worker are also in the group.”
According to the report, it is suspected that the virus had been contracted by employees at the apparel factory in Minuwangoda via these hotel employees.
However, earlier, it was alleged that the virus emerged in Minuwangoda through an Indian national employed at the factory who arrived to Sri Lanka from India.