Apr 10 (Roar) Ihthisham Lye (27) felt a pain in his throat the moment he stepped out of the airport, after returning from a business trip to Malaysia on March 4. He recognised the signs of oncoming fever. “My wife was worried because the antibiotics I took did not work,” he told Roar Media. With COVID19 fears at an all-time high, Lye had himself admitted himself to the IDH in Angoda, where a majority of the suspected and more..

Apr 10 (DM) Sri Lankans are experiencing a shortage of food due to the present crisis that has surfaced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though there are speculative stories circulating that vegetables might rot at the economic centres in the island nation, the regime had to take a firm decision to shut down these facilities because people didn’t adhere to health regulations. What we are seeing today is a total waste of the food that we grow. Such a situation would have been unheard of more..

Apr 10 (Island) Covid-19, so far, has snuffed out about 90,000 lives and landed more than 1.53 million people in hospital, around the world. Scientists have not yet been able to figure out exactly how the virus spreads. It was thought, at the beginning of the pandemic, that coronavirus transmission occurred through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing, but medical experts now believe that patients could spread the disease by simply speaking or breathing. more..

Apr 10 (DM) All the efforts taken by the Govt of SL to combat the COVID-19 pandemic have come in for praise except for the efforts taken to discipline some of the law breakers. The pandemic has exposed some of the various ways in which people and Govts around the world have responded to the crisis. Sri Lankans have been told to remain indoors and that essentials will be delivered to their doorsteps. Some states in America have declared golf, guns and ganja (marijuana) as essentials. more..

Apr 10 (Island) One of the leading national javelin throwers Waruna Dayaratne, who is using improvised apparatus to train during the lockdown, has also taken to ploughing his family paddy fields after the govt allowed the farmers to engage in agriculture activities during curfew. Former national record holder who is from Nattandiya used social media to post a video of him ploughing a paddy field with a tractor early this week. “I am using this time to help my father with his work in paddy fields. more..

Apr 10 (CT) Undue interference by a medical trade union into the Govt's efforts of bringing the crisis situation posed by COVID-19 under control, would cause serious health and economic issues for the country in the near future, the Govt Medical Officers' Forum (GMOF) claimed. GMOF President, Dr. Rukshan Bellana, claimed that the interference and the hindrances caused by a particular medical trade union, which even sidelined the experts more..

Apr 10 (Island) Prof W D Lakshman, Governor of CB has revealed that the SL economy would experience zero rate of growth in the first quarter of 2020. Thus, the new govt’s initial expectations to reverse the sluggish growth experience under the yahapalana govt by increasing 2020 rate of growth to 4.5% seems to be unachievable. The rate of growth of the sectors on which the economic advisors put faith on in achieving 4.5 rate of growth appears to be bleak. No increase in tourist sector more..

Apr 10 (Island) Only few month ago a headline announced that many educational projects planned or in process would need to be cut, due to lack of funding and the worsening balance of payments situation. The govt was doing its best not to default on payments of numerous loans taken out in the past. Around four years ago the World Bank, after issuing a substantial report on Early Childhood Education in SL made a $50 million or Rs:8 billion loan to the Ministry of Womens and more..

Apr 10 (FT) The apparel, tourism and IT industries expressed confidence in surviving the impact of COVID-19 on the economy if the right policy measures are put in place, and the hospitality industry said the Govt had a key role to play in protecting the industry. The hospitality industry has been badly affected and noted it could not show much optimism in the current situation but expressed need to look at innovative ways more..

Apr 10 (Island) Helen Warnat and her 14-year-old son, Alex, boarded a flight, from Germany to Sri Lanka, with dreams of enjoying a fabulous holiday, and engaging in their favourite pastime - diving. But, it was not to be so. Upon arrival at the BIA, they were told, by the officials, that they will be sent for quarantine, for 14-days, to Punani, in Batticaloa. Helen says, initially we were disappointed. But after arriving at the quarantine centre, at the proposed Sharya University, at Punsni, more..

Apr 10 (EN) SL’s rupee ended around 194.50/195.50 to the US dollar in the one week forward market Thursday with volatile trades at different levels after a state name which usually acts for the monetary authority sold dollars, dealers said. A day earlier the rupee touched 200.50 to the US dollar in the one week market and closed around 199.00 to the US dollar. The spot market also saw some activity. The spot US dollar market has been inactive after the soft-dollar peg came under more..

Apr 10 (AD) The govt has taken steps to introduce a special account under special concessions for Sri Lankans living overseas and foreign nationals to deposit their savings and other funds in Sri Lanka. The foreign currency deposited into Non Resident Foreign Currency (NRFC) accounts must remain for a minimum period of 6 months and the govt has decided to offer an additional 02% interest for NRFC account holders when depositing more..

Apr 10 (Island) During this unprecedented moment in history, Dialog Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider, committed to doing their part to support the Ministry of Health’s response efforts, has come forward to donate a range of urgently required equipment and solutions for 20 hospitals including WiFi routers, feature phones, Fixed phones as well as special camera systems to remotely monitor patients and reduce the risk of infection. more..

Apr 10 (Island) Although quite a few Sri Lankans had played county cricket in the pre-Test era, since the country was admitted as a Full Member of the ICC in 1981, opportunities in England for our cricketers were hardly any. In the year 1995 there was a breakthrough. With West Indies scheduled to tour England that year for a Test series, Kent’s overseas signing Carl Hooper was unavailable. Team’s Australian coach Daryl Foster suggested to captain Mark Benson that maybe they should go for more..

Apr 10 (Island) Former Justice Minister, Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, said that nominations accepted for the now indefinitely postponed April 25 parliamentary election should be valid whenever the election is held, in consultation with health authorities. He said so in response to The Island query as to whether fresh nominations were likely to be called for in view of the EC's inability to conduct the election, more..

Apr 10 (Island) Focused on providing support and service during this challenging time Nations Trust Bank has commenced deployment of mobile ATM services to many areas in the Western province. This initiative will help customers to meet their primary banking needs as well as sign up for the Nations Mobile Banking & Internet Banking services without having to travel too far away from home. Nations Mobile ATMs are travelling to central areas covering many populated areas including more..

Apr 10 (Island) Releasing a report on the covid-19 impact on Sri Lanka, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Sri Lanka urges for the setting up of a covid-19 Economic Action Task Force to consider ways and means of managing the impacts to the economy in the short and medium-term and fast-tracking the implementation of necessary policies. PwC is a network of firms in 158 countries with over 250,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services. more..

Apr 10 (Island) Former Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe, yesterday, said that the country was struggling to cope up with the COVID-19 fallout due to the pathetic failure on the part of the parliament to ensure financial discipline. The parliament turned a blind eye to waste, corruption and irregularities, brazenly perpetrated by the powers that be, over the years, finally leading to the massive Treasury bonds scams more..

Apr 10 (TM) As the country has come to a halt with almost no activity, except for the sale of essential items, there has been a significant impact on the environment around us. People are learning to survive on essentials with access to limited resources and our usual consumption levels have dropped drastically. This as a result has given us the rare opportunity to dial back and rethink about our existing lifestyles. Rainforest Protectors of SL Chief Coordinator Jayantha Wijesingha, more..

Apr 10 (FT) The Colombo Coconut Auction, conducted by the Coconut Development Authority (CDA), was held online for the first time yesterday, and over 500,000 coconuts were sold for an average price of Rs. 38.20 per coconut. The auction is usually held every Thursday at 10 a.m. in Colombo but was held online for the first time in the 26 years that it has been conducted due to social distancing measures in place to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 10 (CT) Sri Lanka Ship Building and Offshore Engineering sector is seeking Govt assistance to use the Trincomalee Port as a lay-up ground for Oil Drilling Vessels as several local companies receive enquiries on such facilities. According to a report, due to the adverse effect of COVID- 19 virus to the economies of the countries in Asia, Africa and Middle East, there will be an enforced lull period in oil exploration. more..

Apr 10 (Island) Cabinet approval has been granted for the use of thermal cyclers, or PCR (polymerase chain reaction) machines at universities testing for Covid-19. Minister Bandula Gunawardena said, in his capacity as the Minister of Higher Education, a proposal to that effect had been submitted to the Cabinet. 56 PCR machines were currently available at a number of state universities, including Colombo, Sri Jayewardenepura, Peradeniya, Ruhuna, Kelaniya and Sabaragamuwa. more..

Apr 10 (Island) Security and health officials have commenced an operation to find around 50 people who had been at a wedding, in Mannar, attended by the 61-year-old COVID-19, patient detected from Al-Caseem housing scheme, in Puttalam. Puttalam MOH, Dr. N. Suresh said those who had been at the wedding were not coming forward to undergo quarantine. The 61-year-old man had returned to the country, after taking part in a religious event, in Indonesia. Health officials identified him and more..

Apr 10 (PMD) A meeting between Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa and medical experts representing various fields was held at the Presidential Secretariat, today (09) with the aim of obtaining much needed expert medical opinion on how to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country promptly. During this meeting the steps that have been taken by the govt, security forces and the health sector officials to prevent the spread more..

Apr 10 (EN) A fund started by Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa to help fight Coronavirus had drawn 585 million rupees with contributors ranging from pensioners to big companies, his office said. Sarath Gurusinghe, a retired teacher from Nugegoda has donated his pension in April to the COVID–19 Healthcare and Social Security Fund. Uyanahewage Ashoka who lost his vision has also donated 500,000 to the fund. Minister Chamal Rajapaksa handed over a donation of Rs.25 million more..

Apr 10 (DN) Another one million families with financial difficulties would benefit from the Govt allowance of Rs. 5,000 in the future, Minister Dr Ramesh Pathirana said. He said that around 5.4 million families have already benefited through the relief assistance program successfully implemented under the guidance of Prez, considering the difficulties faced by them during the COVID-19 outbreak. “It has also been identified that around one million families island-wide also facing more..

Apr 10 (EN) SL’s judicial system is poised to release thousands of remand prisoners accused of minor narcotic offences in a bid to reduce chronic overcrowding in the country’s prison system in the face of the COVID 19 threat. Move comes as tensions in the prisons are growing over the threat of the pandemic. Release is recommended for those seen as dealing in small quantities of heroin and cannabis, and not those who are addicted as more..

Apr 10 (Island) The Ceyline Holdings yesterday (8) temporarily handed over its Ruwala Resort, in Kalpitiya, to SL Navy, to be used as a quarantine centre. Accordingly, this 41-room resort will be utilized as a quarantine centre, by the Navy, during the current crisis faced by the nation. The tourism industry and related services have dropped to a bare minimum, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In such circumstances, the board of directors of Ceyline Holdings Pvt Ltd has decided to contribute to more..

Apr 10 (DN) In a bid to prevent any rice shortage in the market, the Govt decided to keep all main rice mills in the country open to continue uninterrupted paddy processing. This decision was taken at a meeting with the ruling party members of the former Parliament yesterday. This meeting held in Colombo under the patronage of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa has focused a number of issues faced by the people due to the outbreak of Covid 19 in the country. more..

Apr 10 (CT) Minister Bandula Gunawardana, reassured the public that the Govt had an adequate number of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test machines, to increase testing for COVID-19. Fielding questions during Media briefing about the call by the GMOA, to boost the number of tests that were being carried out for COVID-19, he said that the Govt not only had the adequate number of machines, but that it also had the funds to more..

Apr 10 (EN) British HC in SL has advised all British nationals in the country to go back while flights are available. “Serious outbreaks of coronavirus are placing significant strain on health services globally,” High Commissioner Sarah Hulton said in a statement. “In the event of a serious outbreak in SL, consular services and flights out of the country could be seriously affected. “We cannot guarantee what flight options might be available if people choose to leave at a later date.” more..

Apr 10 (AD) Four more persons who tested positive for COVID-19 have been discharged as they have made complete recoveries. Ministry of Health stated that the total count of coronavirus recoveries in the country now stands at 54. As of Friday evening, SL’s confirmed coronavirus cases tally was at 190 and 129 out of them are currently under medical care at the IDH, Welikanda Hospital and Mulleriyawa Hospital. 224 suspected coronavirus patients are under observation at selected hospitals more..

Apr 10 (EN) Health authorities are aggressively expanding testing for COVID 19 this week according to new instructions sent to 34 major state sector hospitals across the country. The tests will be performed on a variety of patients as well as healthcare workers exposed to confirmed COVID 19 patients, govt circular signed by the Director-General of Health Services Dr Anil Jasinghe said. Hospitals are being asked to collect at least 10 samples more..

Apr 10 (AD) The term of Presidential Commission of Inquiry appointed to investigate the alleged malpractices which had occurred when selling assets of Edirisinghe Trust Investments (ETI) holdings has been extended by six months. Extraordinary Gazette notification, signed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was published on Wednesday. Accordingly, term of the Commission, which was set to come to an end on Thursday (9) has been extended until Oct 9, 2020. more..

Apr 10 (EN) Highlighting problematic reporting in SL’s mainstream media as well as racially charged viral content on social media, the Free Media Movement (FMM) called for a collective social consciousness to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The media freedom watchdog invited all religious, national and political leaders, media institutions and journalists to intervene in this effort. The full text of the FMM’s statement is as follows: The FMM emphasizes that racial & religious extremism more..

Apr 10 (DM) World economies are already handicapped. The impact of COVID-19 is greatly felt by the SL economy as well. However, despite its massive debt burden, Govt recently announced multiple relief schemes for various beneficiaries. They include everybody from Samurdhi beneficiaries to those who have taken personal loans for various reasons, people involved in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and so forth. more..

Apr 10 (EN) Sri Lanka has re-started rubber auctions on April 9, under rules specified by health authorities, where latex crepe was sold. On April 9, 298,650 kilograms of Latex, Skim, Scrap Crepe were on offer. Latex Crepe 1X had traded at the highest price of 350 rupees per kilogram. RSS grades were not quoted. Brokers, traders and buyers were are asked by the CRTA to comply with the guidelines on COVID-19 preparedness for workplace (rubber auction) specified by more..

Apr 10 (AD) Several persons were injured and hospitalised following a collision involving an ambulance and a bus belonging to SL Transport Board (SLTB) at Senanayake Junction in Borella. Police said that the accident had occurred at around 1.40 p.m. today and that a speeding ambulance had crashed into the SLTB bus at the junction. Seven individuals have been wounded and admitted to the Colombo National Hospital for treatment. Borella Police is further investigating the incident. more..

Apr 10 (AD) The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) says that Maximum Retail Prices have been imposed on several rice varieties with effect from today (10). A maximum retail price (MRP) of Rs. 125 has been imposed on a kilogram of Keeri Samba while a maximum price of Rs. 90 has been imposed on a kilogram of Samba (red/white). Meanwhile the MRP on Nadu is Rs. 90 per kg while the MRP on white-red raw rice is Rs. 85 per kg. more..