Officers of the Central Bank were asked to quarantine following the detection of one Covid-19 case within its premises, a spokesman for the National Operations Centre for Prevention of Covid-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) said.
The employee, a casual worker of the Governor’s office has currently been placed under medical care.
Central Bank Governor Prof. W. D. Lakshman is among the officials under quarantine. “We are in self-isolation in our home,” Prof. Lakshman said adding that his wife, security persons and other workers at his official residence are also in isolation.
A media release from the Central Bank stated that as a precautionary measure, the senior management of the Bank, who functioned physically in the Bank premises also decided to work from home for two weeks from November 20, 2020.
It stated that the Bank’s essential operations will continue as usual.
“The well tested Business Continuity Plan (BCP) of the Central Bank, early formation of an Emergency Action Task Force to provide guidance in case of an emergency situation, proactive measures taken by the Bank in consultation with health authorities, continuous and close screening of all employees through regular online surveys, roster based working arrangement of in-person employees and effective work from home arrangements that have been put in place will help the Bank to continue to function without disruption even after this incident,” the release stated.
The public can reach the Central Bank electronically via [email protected] / [email protected] or telephone 011-2477966 and the other numbers already announced.
Two medical students at the Colombo Medical Faculty also tested positive for the virus, as the number infected exceeded 19,200.
An 89-year-old man from Dematagoda died of Covid-19 yesterday. The death toll of Covid-19 is 75.
A spokesman for the NOCPCO said yesterday that steps were taken to isolate Atulugama in Bandaragama, after 17 villagers tested positive for the virus.
According to state statistics the highest number of cases is reported in Colombo with over 6,200 and Gampaha over 5,200. Kalutara, Kurunegala and Kandy reported over 600, 260 and 250.
The highest number of patients was reported in Colombo with 305 and 58 in Gampaha from November 18 to 20. The case count on Friday was 437.
The World Health Organization (WHO) last week agreed to provide a Covid-19 vaccine, when it’s ready to about 20 percent of Sri Lanka’s population.
WHO’s Sri Lankan representative Dr. Raiza Pendse said it is important to have a national plan to deploy the Covid-19 vaccine.