Corona outbreak: Two quarantine centres in Batticoloa

COLOMBO (News 1st):- Visitors from South Korea, Iran and Italy will be sent to two quarantine centres in Batticaloa upon arrival in the country. The number of affected patients due to the Coronavirus has exceeded 100,000 while the number of deaths stands at 3480. Director-General of Health Services, Dr Anil Jasinghe says;

"Steps would be taken to use the Batticaloa Campus as a quarantine facility. Those arriving from these countries will be taken to this facility from the airport by the Army. Attention should be paid while taking these individuals and placing them at these centers. It could be difficult to curb the spread of the virus if it enters our country. Therefore, we will have to take steps to restrict entry to our country. A person in Avissawella has volunteered to hand over his hotel as a quarantine facility. At the same time, a woman in the Southern region has expressed willingness to offer a land area for this purpose. We are very proud of these individuals."

Italy's prime minister has said at least 16 million people are now under lock-down in Lombardy region and also in 14 provinces until early April The death toll in Italy has passed 230, with officials reporting more than 50 deaths in 24 hours. The number of confirmed cases jumped by more than 1,200 to 5,883 yesterday. While there is a considerable amount of Sri Lankans employed in Italy, it has been confirmed that one woman has been affected by the virus. The manner in which several cities in Italy had been deserted was visible. During a wedding ceremony in Italy yesterday, none of the invitees were present except for a few family members of the couple. Meanwhile, the number of Coronavirus cases in South Korea has arisen to 7000 while the number of deaths stands at 46. An emergency situation has been declared in New York, as the number of Coronavirus patients had doubled. 19 persons have died in the US due to the Coronavirus. While 3097 persons have died due to the virus in China, four persons died after a quarantine facility in Quanzhou had collapsed.