State and private sector institutions, transport providers and the public should strictly follow all health guidelines issued by the Health Ministry, Health Services Director General, Dr. Anil Jasinge said.
According to Dr. Jasinghe, all should wear masks when they are in public places and maintain at least a one metre distance from each other. Hands should be washed frequently with soap and water or sanitisers. Masks should be worn when travelling in public transport, such as trains and buses.
“Before Covid-19, most people suffered from at least a common cold once a month or so but after Covid-19 no one suffered from colds or the flu due to the good health habits introduced to prevent the spread of the global pandemic,” Dr.Jasinghe said, adding that these health guidelines promote good habits, useful at all times.
He said if these good health habits had been introduced before the Covid-19 pandemic, we could have saved millions of man hours.
The health authorities said that since there is no specific drug or vaccine for Covid-19, the disease could hit Sri Lanka again at any time.
Sri Lanka is among the few countries which was successful in controlling the outbreak.
“Sri Lanka used a powerful, timeless weapon to fight the Covid-19 successfully. It is the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance No.03 of 1897,” he said.
On Friday (5), there were 1,797 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country and the death toll was 11, statistics from the Health Promotion Bureau revealed. Almost 840 people have recovered and discharged from hospitals.
Of the 48 positive cases reported on Thursday, 42 were from the Sri Lanka Navy and six were expatriates. The number of recovered cases among the Navy personnel stood at 443 by Friday.