State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Prof. Channa Jayasumana urged the people of the country not to mistakenly think that the threat from the Covid-19 virus has completely gone away as the risks posed by public gatherings and failure to follow health guidelines is still very high. “Do not get the wrong idea that the risk is gone,” Jayasumana stated. Speaking to reporters yesterday (10), he said that inter-provincial travel restrictions are still being maintained and that despite such restrictions many people are still gathering in large numbers at places of worship, funerals, weddings and at functions organised by family members or friends. He went on to say that this is setting a bad precedent and that he had personally observed yesterday people gathering in large numbers near religious places such as the Ruwanweli Maha Seya and Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi. Jayasumana emphasized that Sri Lanka was a country where just 2-3 weeks ago around 200 coronavirus deaths were being reported on a daily basis and that the people should not think that the virus is completely gone now. Additionally, Jayasumana said that he cannot provide any guarantee that this virus will not mutate further in the future and that it is evident that new variants of the virus keeps on popping up all over the world while the number of cases and deaths continue to rise gradually.