Nearly 4,000 Sri Lankan Navy personnel quarantined after 60 tested positive for COVID-19: report

The move came as 30 Navy personnel tested positive for the COVID-19 virus each on Friday and Saturday at the country’s Welisara Naval camp

A man reacts as a health official uses a swab to collect a sample at a fish market during the curfew amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 22, 2020.

Nearly 4,000 Sri Lankan Navy personnel and their families have been quarantined at a major naval facility after 60 COVID-19 cases were confirmed in two days, a media report said on Saturday.

The move came as 30 Navy personnel tested positive for the COVID-19 virus each on Friday and Saturday at the country’s Welisara Naval camp, the State-run Daily News reported.

“Today 30 Navy personnel have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Another 30 had tested positive for the virus yesterday,” Army Commander Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva was quoted as saying by the paper during his media briefing of the National Operation Centre for the Prevention of COVID-19 here.

Following the new cases, nearly 4,000 naval personnel and their families at the naval base have been isolated within the camp, the paper reported, citing an order issued by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The spurt in new cases came amidst Sri Lanka deciding to lift the nationwide curfew imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus on Monday.

Sri Lanka has been under a strict curfew since March 20 to combat the COVID-19 that has claimed seven lives and infected 420 people.

The government had on Monday dropped its decision to relax the nationwide curfew and extended it to April 27 following a sudden spike in the number of COVID-19 cases.

However, there has been intermittent lifting of the curfew in selected areas which were not seen as dangerous for the spread of the deadly virus.

The Sri Lankan government has planned various measures to protect the security forces personnel from contracting the COVID-19 infection while engaged in operations to control the spread of the disease, the Colombo Page reported.

“All naval personnel are restricted from travel and confined to barracks without leave. They are only allowed to leave the bases for assigned duties,” the report said.

In Sri Lanka, the deadly virus claimed the lives of 7 people so far with 420 cases of confirmed infection.