Committee to probe COVID spread at Sapugaskanda Refinery

Colombo (News 1st); Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila appointed a committee to investigate how workers at the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery contracted COVID-19. The committee will be chaired by the Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Energy Chandika Athugala. The other members of the committee are; Lalith Wasantha, Adviser to the Minister of Energy. Buddhika Madihewa, Managing Director of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. Nayana Senaratne, Senior Assistant Secretary to the Ministry of Energy. Roshini Rusiriwardena, Medical Officer of the Petroleum Storage Terminals Company. K. D. R. Olga, the Secretary to the Ministry of Energy told News 1st, the committee is tasked with investigating if the necessary health protocols were followed at the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery. The committee is expected to provide a report to the Minister within 10 days. The Secretary to the Ministry of Energy said at present 354 COVID-19 cases are reported from the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery and they were detected from 1100 PCR tests carried out at the premises on the 19th of March.