622 passengers transferred to quarantine facilities

Colombo (News 1st) - Director of Airport and Aviation Service Shehan Sumanasekara stated that 622 passengers from Iran, Italy and South Korea have been transferred to quarantine facilities for a mandatory 14 day quarantine period. He stated that as of 5 PM yesterday, the passengers had been sent to the Kandakaadhu Centre in Polonnaruwa and the Private Campus in Batticoloa for quarantining. The Health Ministry, in a combined effort with the Sri Lanka Army, used 25 luxury buses to transport the passengers to the centers. Meanwhile, a further 250 passengers from the three countries arrived in the island between midnight yesterday and 5 AM today. The World Health Organization has now formally recognized the virus as a pandemic.