Epidemiology chief concerned over double standards of some media institutions

Chief Epidemiologist of the Epidemiology Unit, Dr. Sudath Samaraweera raised concerns regarding the double standards of some media institutions over adhering to COVID-19 guidelines.

He told the Daily Mirror that some media institutions that educated people on the health safety in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, had taken the guidelines for granted when holding their programmes such as reality shows.

“If the media institutions stop violating COVID-19 guidelines in this manner, they can set an example for people who continue to ignore health guidelines,” he said.

"It was not possible to force people to wear masks or follow guidelines, whereas it should come naturally. If we force them to do so legally, they will further ignore the guidelines,” he said.

“It is up to them to follow or otherwise face the music," he added.

Moreover, he said there was no provision to take legal actions against those who fail to follow guidelines.

Meanwhile, the toll of confirmed COVID-19 cases stood at 3,313, while 3,129 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals as of yesterday.

According to the Health Promotion Bureau, 273,708 PCR tests have been conducted so far. (Sheain Fernandopulle)