COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
The COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. The first case of the virus in Sri Lanka was confirmed on 27 January 2020, after a 44-year-old Chinese woman from Hubei, China, was admitted to the Infectious Disease Hospital in Angoda, Sri Lanka.[3] As of 15 December 2022, a total of 671,776 COVID-19 cases had been recorded in the country, 654,919 patients had recovered from the disease, and 16,814 patients had died.[1][2][4]
The first reported case involving a Sri Lankan outside the country was reported in Italy on 3 March 2020. As of 23 March 2020, forty-five quarantine centres had been built in the country by the Sri Lanka Army as a preventative measure in an attempt to stop the spread of the pandemic.[5] Nearly 3,500 people were placed under quarantine in 45 quarantine centres, including 31 foreigners from 14 countries.[6] As of 25 March 2020, Sri Lankan authorities tracked down over 14,000 people who had come into contact with identified patients, and ordered those people to self-quarantine.[7] As of 16 April 2020, Sri Lanka was named the 16th highest-risk country for contracting the virus.[8] In April 2020, Sri Lanka's response to the pandemic was ranked as the 9th best in the world.[9]
Although Sri Lanka was successful in handling the first wave of the pandemic, the government's failure to handle the second and the third waves of the pandemic caused a spike in COVID-19 deaths after November 2020. There was a sudden increase in COVID-19 cases after the relaxation of health restrictions during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April 2021. The highly contagious Delta variant was responsible for the considerably high fatality rate in the country in August 2021, when Sri Lanka became the country with the fourth-largest number of daily deaths in the world by population, behind just Georgia, Tunisia, and Malaysia.[10] Government negligence in implementing a lockdown, negligent behaviour of the general public, and teachers' protests have all contributed to the record spike of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country.[11]
On 20 August 2021, government imposed a ten-day lockdown island-wide to curb the spread of COVID-19 cases.[12][13] The decision to lockdown the country came following the immense pressure from the health authorities and the political parties who demanded complete lockdown after Sri Lanka surpassed 1,000 deaths over the course of eight days.[14][15][16] It is believed that the COVID-19 cases in the country are underreported by the officials and allegations regarding the manipulation of details regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in the country were also raised.[17][18]
Some businesses imposed a voluntary lockdown for a period of 10 to 14 days during the early parts of August when the government refused to impose a lockdown due to the worsening situation of the economy.[19] The Central Bank of Sri Lanka raised interest rates in August 2021, and Sri Lanka became the first nation in Asia to tighten the monetary policy during the pandemic era.[20][21] On 27 August 2021, the government extended the lockdown to 6 September 2021 as the daily death toll surpassed 200 for the first time since the pandemic began.[22][23]
Background
On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. This illness had been reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[24][25]
While the case fatality ratio for COVID-19[26][27] was much lower than the SARS outbreak in 2003, its transmission rate of the virus was significantly greater with a significant total death toll.[28][26] Quarantine law in Sri Lanka is governed by the Quarantine and Prevention of Disease Ordinance No 3 of 1897.[29]
Clusters
After identifying a COVID-19 positive patient from Polonnaruwa, a sailor from Welisara Navy camp, the camp was immediately quarantined: around 4000 people at the Navy Camp, including sailors and their families, were held within the camp.[236] On 23 April, 30 sailors tested positive for the virus, with the count rising to 58 the next day.[93][92] Due to the spread, all sailors were recalled to the camp and transferred to Colombo for further testing. Those that associated with sailors in the camp were instructed to self-quarantine. On 24 April, the camp was declared an isolated area.[237][238] As of 28 April 148 sailors from the Welisara Naval Complex, 45 sailors on leave, and 13 others were traced to have been in contact with the infected sailors.[239] According to Jasinghe on 28 April, the Welisara cluster included 209 people, with 148 inside the camp and 45 outside the camp on leave.[240]
Kandakadu cluster
On 7 July, an inmate in the Welikada Prison tested positive for COVID-19.[241] On the same day, another COVID-19 cluster was declared in the Kandakadu Rehabilitation Centre. Two people from Welikanda, five from Rajanganaya, and one each from Habaraduwa and Lankapura tested positive for COVID-19. They were confirmed to be close associates of inmates in the Kandakadu Rehabilitation Centre.[242]
Minuwangoda and Divulapitiya cluster
On 4 October 2020, a 39-year-old woman employed in an apparel manufacturing facility in Gampaha tested positive for COVID-19. It was revealed that she was working in the Brandix garment factory in Minuwangoda.[243] 45 of her close contacts were quarantined. Subsequently, a police curfew assisted by the army was imposed on Minuwangoda and Divulapitya.[244] On 4 October, the total number of new infections rose to 101 due to the number of infections reported from the Minuwangoda apparel factory.[245] On the same day, the Ministry of Education announced that it was considering to hold or postpone the Scholarship Examination and the GCE. Advanced Level examinations scheduled to start on 11 and 12 October, respectively.[246] PCR tests were conducted on over 2,000 employees of the garment factory.[247] On 5 October over 1,300 students and teachers of the Sri Guanawasa Maha Vidyalaya in Divulapiya were quarantined.[248][249] On 6 October, Sri Lankan Army Commander Lt. General Shavendra Silva stated at a press conference that the total number of cases from the Brandix cluster reached 706.[250][251] In the Gampaha district, 11 police areas were put under curfew after 100 cases were reported.[252] On 7 October, new reports stated that 1026 garment factory workers tested positive for the virus. One COVID-19 patient was found in another Brandix garment factory in Welisara.[253] On the same day, the Ministry of Education announced that the Scholarship and Advanced Level would not be postponed.[254] On 8 October the government said that the total number of confirmed cases rose to 4,469 (Minuwangoda garment factory cluster number of cases up to 1,044).[255] New COVID-19 cases were reported in 16 districts on 8 October.[256] On 9 October, the Government Information Department said that the Minuwangoda cluster increased to 1,053 cases.[257] On 10 October, the number of total cases on the island reached 4,626.[258] On 11 October 2020, 1,307 total COVID-19 cases were reported from the Minuwangoda and Divulapitya cluster.[259] 49 garment employees tested positive for COVID-19 on 13 October.[162] Silva said 85% of the families of Brandix garment factory employees tested positive for the virus. They moved to 96 quarantine facilities with more than 10,000 people undergoing the quarantine process.[260] On 17 October, Gampha District allowed the purchase of groceries and medicine for a few hours.
Alleged violation of quarantine protocol
On 7 October, Opposition MPs Harsha de Silva and Manusha Nanayakkara inquired whether the new cluster emerged from the transmission of the virus from Indian nationals invited by Brandix. They also claimed that Brandix's chief of security escorted them out of the airport without being tested for COVID-19 and violating quarantine procedures.[261]
Brandix responded, saying that no parties from India accessed its Minuwangoda facility, and no Indian material was used there. The company also stated that they chartered three flights from Visakhapatnam, India, for its Sri Lankan employees working in India and their families, and that they properly followed government-mandated protocol including PCR testing and 14-day quarantine at a government-regulated quarantine facility.[262][263][264]
University cases
The Bambalapitiya branch of ICBT Campus became a COVID-19 hotspot, as one of the students of the college who visited the campus on 4 October 2020 tested positive for COVID-19.[265][266]
A female student from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura's third-year management faculty tested positive COVID-19 on 10 October. The university vice-chancellor, Sudantha Liyanage, said 50 students of the Management Faculty were placed under self-isolation. The student's mother was a nurse who worked in the ICU of the Panadura General Hospital, which immediately closed the ICU and tested 20 ICU crew members.[267] On 12 October 2020, another two students positive.[268]
On 11 October 2020, a reported new COVID-19 case involved a female student of University of Kelaniya's social science faculty.[269] In the University of Ruhuna, a student's father tested for COVID-19 on 12 October. The student and her roommate were quarantined.[270]
Colombo National Hospital
On 10 October 2020, Colombo National Hospital announced that three minor staff tested positive for COVID-19. Two wards were temporarily closed.[271]
Katunayaka Investment Zone
On 12 October 2020, seven people tested positive for COVID-19 in the Katunayaka Investment Zone.[272] On 13 October, 42 more employees tested positive for COVID-19.[273]
Peliyagoda fish market cluster
On 21 October, several new cases were reported at the Peliyagoda fish market.[274] The first recorded patient lived in Dompe. After a few hours, the fish market closed and all the workers self-quarantined, with 105 individuals taking PCR tests.[275]
496 new cases were reported on 23 October.[181] 20 harbour workers at the Beruwala fisheries tested positive for COVID-19, due to close contact with the Peliyagoda cluster.[276] Some time later, all major fisheries were closed.[181] 535 patients were reported at the Peliyagoda fish market with 217 close contacts.[188]