State Minister who experimented indigenous syrup contracts COVID-19

Women and Child Development State Minister Piyal Nishantha tested COVID-19 positive, the State Minister confirmed.

Publishing a post on his official Facebook page, the State Minister said he has been infected with the virus and added that he would follow the instructions given by the health authorities.

“I also request those who came into contact with me in last few days, to take necessary steps and precaution as per the guideline given by health officials,” he said in the post.

He was confirmed to have been infected with the virus following a rapid antigen test.

Piyal Nishantha was also seen in the occasion held on January 14 to declare open Southeast Asia’s largest tyre manufacturing facility at Wagawatta in Horana, where President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and several Ministers and State Ministers were present.

Ministers Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Ramesh Pathirana, Mahinda Amaraweera, Wimal Weerawansa, State Minister Kanaka Herath and Defence Secretary, Gen.(Retd) Kamal Gunaratne were also among those present at the opening ceremony.

Meanwhile, State Minister Piyal Nishantha was also one of those parliamentarians who experimented and took a sip of the syrup at the Parliamentary complex on December 10, 2020, and the syrup that claimed to cure COVID-19. (Sheain Fernandopulle)