21 July 2020 02:05 am
The Public Health Inspectors Union of Sri Lanka (PHIUSL) Secretary M. Balasooriya told Daily Mirror yesterday that they would continue their trade union action launched last week as there was no positive response from the Health Ministry.
The Union arrived at the decision to withdraw from COVID-19 control services following the government's failure to provide Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) the legal provisions necessary for their duties.
Despite a gazette issued on COVID-19 related health guidelines, PHIs claim that they have not been vested with the legal provisions necessary to carry out their duties.
The PHIs declared that they would resort to trade union action on Friday (17).
Meanwhile, the Epidemiology Unit said the total COVID-19 cases in Sri Lanka stood at 2,730 with six more positive cases being reported yesterday.
Among the positive cases, five were returnees from the UAE while one was a resident of Rajangana who is a close associate of a COVID-19 patient at the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre.
The Epidemiology Unit said six people recovered from the virus yesterday increasing the total recoveries to 2,041, while there were 678 active cases.
According to the Health Ministry, the toll of positive COVID-19 case from the Kandakadu cluster has increased to 560 with 451 being inmates, 68 being staff members and 41 being the associates of virus contracted ones. A total of twenty positive cases were reported on Sunday.
Moreover, the Navy said another two naval personnel who had contracted COVID-19 and underwent treatment in hospitals, were discharged.
Accordingly, 903 naval personnel out of the total naval COVID - 19 cluster, have been discharged from hospitals after full recovery from the infection.
Health authorities said, these patients who were discharged had been instructed to stay indoors for a further 14 days of quarantine at their homes. (Sheain Fernandopulle)