COLOMBO, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Army Commander Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva said the first contacts of COVID-19 patients would undergo home quarantine from Tuesday and would not be taken to quarantine centers, as the number of COVID-19 patients saw a spike in the country in recent weeks.
Silva, also head of Sri Lanka's National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak, told Xinhua that following discussions with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, it had been decided to place the first contacts of positive patients under strict house quarantine and they would not be allowed to meet anyone or leave their homes.
They would be strictly monitored by the Public Health Inspectors and while indoors, they too would be subjected to PCR tests during and at the end of their 14-day quarantine period, Silva said.
"Until Monday, all first contacts of a confirmed patient were taken to a quarantine centre," Silva said. "But from Tuesday, the first contacts will be home quarantined and we hope they will strictly adhere to the rules and regulations," he added.
To date, there are over 40,000 people from across the country who are undergoing quarantine in the centers.
Sri Lanka's total COVID-19 patient count jumped to 8,152 on Monday after 280 new patients were detected during the day, Health Ministry statistics showed.
Out of the total infected, 3,933 patients had recovered and been discharged from hospital while 16 deaths had been reported from the virus.
Sri Lanka has in recent weeks seen a surge in COVID-19 patients from two clusters detected in Minuwangoda, on the outskirts of capital Colombo and a fish market at Peliyagoda in Colombo.
Parts of Colombo north and the Gampaha district where Minuwangoda is located are under a curfew to prevent a further spread of the infection. Enditem
