At least 248 sailors at a Sri Lankan naval base have currently tested positive for the coronavirus admitted authorities, in what has been the biggest outbreak of the virus on the island so far.
Shavendra Silva, currently heading COVID-19 operations, stated that among the 30 cases in the last 24 hours, 22 of them were navy sailors and all but one of the rest had been in close contact with them.
According to AP News, the virus spread to the different parts of the island through sailors who were sent on leave after being deployed to capture drug addicts evading quarantine, who had reportedly been in contact with a patient with COVID-19.
Thus far a total of 4,000 navy troops have been quarantined alongside 242 of their relatives at centres run by the military.
As of today, Sri Lanka's COVID-19 patients has increased to 653 with seven deaths.
According to Lankadeepa, six or more villages have been sealed off this week in Sri Lanka due to exposure from sailors returning home. A further 1,300 have also been asked to self-quarantine reportedly.
See more from AP here.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
