Apr 17 (DM) The Govt has announced that the schools and universities that had been indefinitely closed earlier in view of the COVID-19 pandemic would be reopened on May 11. Does it mean that the Govt is confident that the pandemic would be wiped out from the country or at least it would sufficiently be under control by May 11? It is the hope and the prayer of all Sri Lankans that the country would emerge victorious in its struggle against the coronavirus as early as possible, more..

Apr 17 (CT) College of Community Physicians in SL (CCPSL) points out that the lockdown strategy in the country is not a permanent solution and that it is only effective in flattening the curve. In a statement published on 8 April, the CCPSL highlighted that action such as simultaneous case detection, contact tracing and quarantine should also be implemented to prevent the spread of the virus. Endorsing the implementation of the WHOs Test-Test- Test strategy to increase the number of tests more..

Apr 17 (CT) In Lockdown land our present is blurred. Our future is shapeless. The purposes of today�s essay is intended for those poised to inherit this land. Naturally it includes my six grandchildren. They must be reminded that what we take for granted today as a basic human right � universal health care was an ideal that was passionately resisted by market economics and all so called parliamentary democrats and professional physicians. Until the advent of universal health care, more..

Apr 17 (ST) Some developed nations are canvassing Sri Lankan manufacturers to sell them personal protection equipment (PPE), including the full-body polythene gown, despite Sri Lanka also being desperately short of the gear. The requests�which have also been made to some of Sri Lanka�s missions abroad�come amidst strict controls around the world, including in India, Britain and the United States, on the export of PPEs more..

Apr 17 (DM) Since Mar 20, islandwide curfew has been a key strategy to control the transmission of COVID-19. During this period, over 21 million people have been confined to their homes and other places of residence. Whilst the lockdown strategy has been vital in holding back the spread of the virus in SL and globally, it is now widely acknowledged to have profound social consequences. We have been forced to revisit the assumption implicit in lockdown strategy that homes are safe spaces. more..

Apr 17 (ST) The tanks in the Rajarata are full of waterlilies and lotuses blooming with colour but there is heartbreak behind the vivid show, an unseen consequence of coronavirus. These flowers are normally picked and collected by people living around religious centres who sell them to devotees who visit the temples and, in centuries-old tradition, wish to make a worship offering of the blossoms. The sellers, many of them women, earn a daily living from selling the flowers. more..

Apr 17 (DN) Sri Lanka Cricket has shown interest in hosting two global flagship tournaments of the ICC between the years 2023-31. ICC invited expression of interest from its members for events in the 2023-31 cycle and SL along with 17 other members have shown interest in holding the 28 events proposed for the cycle. �We have shown interest for two events which we cannot disclose at this stage because of the confidentiality,� more..

Apr 17 (Reuters) This year�s Indian Premier League (IPL) was officially postponed until further notice because of the COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday but the Indian cricket board believes it can find a safe window later for the lucrative Twenty20 tournament. The eight-team league, originally scheduled from March 29, was initially suspended until Wednesday even as India entered a three-week lockdown last month. With the lockdown being extended until May 3 and travel and more..

Apr 17 (Island) Judoka Chamara Dharmawardena�s preparations for Tokyo Olympic qualifications suffered a huge setback when he had to abandon intensive training in Slovenia two and half months into the programme. He was scheduled to train there till June. Despite Covid 19 pandemic abruptly ending his overseas training there is consolation for the South Asian Games gold medallist after the Tokyo event was postponed to 2021. �I was training in Slovenia when the Covid 19 pandemic more..

Apr 17 (Island) Head Coach Mickey Arthur has been confined to his five star hotel in Colombo for almost a month now due to the lockdown. He has used the time at his disposal to think of novel ways to improve performances of our cricket team. He is said to be assessing the team�s use of reviews as well in recent times. It need not be repeated here that the national cricket team�s use of reviews is appalling. more..

Apr 17 (ST) Farmers in Kalpitiya, like in most parts of the country say they are unable to sell their produce and were facing great financial hardships. They said vegetables such as cabbage, beetroot, red onion, radish and produce of other intermediate crops cultivated in about 8000 acres are rotting. The farmers added that they cannot even collect the harvest of vegetables cultivated in villages such as Dhaluwa, Norochcholai, Palakuda, Alankuda, Thalawila, Ilanthadiya and Palasole as more..

Apr 17 (CT) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has launched a Coach Education App, thus introducing one of the most sought after digital facility to help its coaches develop and enhance their knowledge in the comfort of their homes using a mobile or personal computer. The new app which is freely available can be downloaded on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. It is meant for coaches of the SLC High Performance Centers, Clubs, Provincial, District and School Level Coaches. more..

Apr 17 (Island) Secretary General of Parliament, W.B. Dhammika Dassanayake, yesterday, told The Island that in terms of a decision taken by the House Committee, former lawmakers could use their housing units, in the Madiwela Housing Complex, pending the next parliamentary election. Dassanayake said so when The Island asked whether the former UNP Gampaha District MP was entitled to accommodation more..

Apr 17 (EN) Chamila Samarakkodi has been in fashion and apparel manufacturing industry for over 30 year.His firm Design Studio has plants in Anuradhapura and Kurunegala employing over 2500 rural employees exporting to UK high street retailers including Primark, ASDA, Topshop, Sainsbury�s, ASOS, River Island, Oasis and Urban Outfitters, -end ladies soft and tailored garments. In this analysis he explains the economic shock to the apparel sector the fallout on workers and more..

Apr 17 (DN) Following the Govt declaration of the Plantations sector as an essential service, the Planters� Association of Ceylon (PA) stated that RPC operations immediately gathered momentum amid stringent new measures to protect workers and the wider estate community against the COVID-19 pandemic. Expressing gratitude to all industry stakeholders and Govt authorities for successfully enabling plantation sector to resume critical operations, PA Chairman, Sunil Poholiyadde more..

Apr 17 (FT) Hit by the COVID-19 preventive measures including indefinite curfew and social distancing, Colombo City Restaurants Collective (CCRC) is calling for urgent relief, including moratorium on debt, support on rent and exemption of rates as well as waiver of taxes on imported food. �COVID-19 pandemic hit us at a time while we were still recovering from the Easter Sunday bomb attacks of 2019 and while more..

Apr 17 (AD) Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) stated that it has not authorized any person or organization to collect parking fees in the city roads maintained by the Council during the on-going curfew period. Issuing a public notice, CMC requested the public to refrain from paying parking fees for parking on the roads during this period. This includes places where metered parking management presently exists, CMC further clarified. Any complaints or clarification in this regard more..

Apr 17 (CT) National Organiser of the SL Grama Niladhari Association, Nevil Wijerathne, said that Grama Niladhari Officers have decided to withdraw from services, in connection with the distribution of Rs. 5,000 allowances to people, due to several issues, including a circular related issue and distributing the said allowance through Samurdhi Officers. He added that so far no persons who had lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic have been given the Rs.5,000 allowance. more..

Apr 17 (Xinhua) U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to place on hold all funding to World Health Organization (WHO) will have a colossal and detrimental impact on the programs in countries like Sri Lanka, SL's former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said Thursday. In a letter sent to the U.S. President, Wickremesinghe said that in view of the grim impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has created, US President should reconsider more..

Apr 17 (Island) 20 policemen, attached to the Keselwatta Police, in Colombo, have been sent to a quarantine centre, in Attidiya, after it was revealed that they had come into contact with a person who was a close associate of the drug addict who tested positive for COVID-19, at Ja-Ela. These policemen had come into contact with the man after he was arrested for violating curfew, yesterday, at Saunder�s Place, Pettah. Later, it was found that he is an associate of COVID patient found in Ja-Ela. more..

Apr 17 (PMD) A consignment of medicines donated by the Religious Advisor of the Mahakaruna Buddhist Society of Singapore Venerable Dr. K. Gunaratana Thero, Chairman of Humanity Matters Mr. Ong Keng Yong and the SL High Commissioner of SL to Singapore Ms. Shashikala Premawardene was handed to Presidential Secretariat today (16). The donation valued at Rs. 10 million included thermal scanners and protective gears. The Additional Secretary to the President on more..

Apr 17 (Island) President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, Kalinga Indatissa PC has called on the IGP to inform the BASL of the reasons and basis of the arrest of Hejaz Hisbullah, Attorney-at-Law, and member of the BASL. In a letter addressed to the IGP, the BASL President requests that professional rights of Hisbullah should be given due consideration. The full text of the BASL chief�s letter to IGP: more..

Apr 17 (FT) The Board of Investment said yesterday that approved companies can gradually recommence operations whilst strictly adhering to Ministry of Health guidelines. In a statement, BOI said it will facilitate the process and urged companies and investors to contact [email protected] for the guidelines to obtain the required curfew passes. The notice of resumption of companies by the BOI is in line with the Govt's desire to gradually open up the economy, the statement added. more..

Apr 17 (FT) Several heads of foreign missions, including the US, Canada, Australia and EU, yesterday commended the Govt for measures taken to combat COVID-19. This was expressed at a special meeting that was held with heads of missions of several foreign nations and the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Essential Services Head Basil Rajapaksa at Temple Trees. PTF on Essential Services Spokesman Charitha Herath said Govt had briefed heads of mission more..

Apr 17 (FT) ICRA Lanka yesterday outlined three possible economic outcomes for Sri Lanka from COVID-19, with the most optimistic projecting a recession of -0.6%, a medium -1.9%, or an extreme scenario of -3.3% in 2020. The report titled, Economic Impact of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka also compared how the country�s economy recovered after three previous crises, namely the 2001 Central Bank bombing, more..

Apr 17 (Island) National Film Corporation's decision to grant monthly financial assistance of Rs.100,000 each, to cinema's in the state operated Rithma Circuit was unfair, several cinema owners who did not fall into that category said yesterday. They called on the National Film Corporation (NFC) to rectify the situation and ensure equity among others in the film industry. "We have in accordance with the Cultural Affairs Ministry directive suspended the screening of films until a remedy is found more..

Apr 17 (FT) SL reported zero new COVID-19 cases yesterday, with five new recoveries dropping the number of active cases to 163. The five recoveries brought the total recoveries to 68, increasing the country�s recovery rate to 28.57% from 26.58% on Wednesday night. With 7 deaths recorded, SL�s fatality rate is 2.94%. The number of confirmed cases remains at 238, and this includes 49 from the Colombo District, 45 from Kalutara District, 35 from Puttalam District, 28 from Gampaha District. more..

Apr 17 (FT) The strategy formulated to revive the economy and to ensure the return of normalcy while reducing measures put in place to counter COVID-19 will be announced during the weekend, the PMD said. Meeting with the Secretaries to Ministries on Wednesday at the Presidential Secretariat, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa discussed rebuilding the economy in the face of the current challenges, PMD added. more..

Apr 17 (SLN) In its continuous efforts to control the spread of new coronavirus within the country, Navy conducted several disinfection programmes at Colombo Dockyard, entrances of Colombo harbour, Warakapola Base Hospital and Zahira College Puttalam on 12th and 16th April. Under the directives of Commander of the Navy, these disinfection programmes at above locations were carried out by Navy�s Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear (CBRN) Unit. more..

Apr 17 (SLN) The prevailing situation in the country has greatly hampered the monthly receipt of medication of retired and serving naval personnel as well as their family members who are receiving long-term treatment from naval hospitals. Taking into consideration the difficulty that these people are in, the Navy on 15th and 16th April 2020 launched a programme to distribute pharmaceutical drugs to the houses of those members in Northwestern and North Central Provinces. more..

Apr 17 (EN) Sex-workers, the homeless and migrant workers without a fixed abode are increasingly at risk of contracting COVID 19 and are falling through the cracks in the SL system, social workers and Health Workers warned. Spokesmen for two organisations working with sex-workers in Colombo and other districts said that at least two women in the trade, one from Colombo central and another from Puttalam more..

Apr 17 (AD) Dept of Motor Traffic will be extending the validity of expiring driving licenses until the threat of COVID-19 pandemic is eliminated. Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has given the relevant instructions to the officials of the Motor Traffic Dept. The time period given to renew the driving licenses that expired as of March 10, came to an end last Wednesday (15). Accordingly, a meeting chaired by Minister Amaraweera was held today (17) to discuss extending the validity period more..

Apr 17 (EN) Sri Lanka�s rupee was quoted stronger against the US dollar in one week forwards, and there were no spot market deal while bonds yields were lower at open dealers said, and the stock market continued to be closed. The rupee was quoted around 194.20/195.00 in mid-morning trade Friday, dealer said. There have been moral suasion and interventions, in the market in recent days. Rupee closed around 194.60/195.10 in the one week forward market yesterday as more..

Apr 17 (AD) If the elections cannot be held on time, Govt and the Opposition must set aside their political differences and work together to take urgent and meaningful steps to avoid an unnecessary constitutional crisis, says the former Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya. Jayasuriya stated that, as the former Speaker, he was recently been contacted by religious and political leaders, MPs, academics, civil society and more..

Apr 17 (EN) Sri Lanka�s SME sector, as is elsewhere, is too big to fail but can easily be overlooked by larger strategically important corporations during a crisis. However, ACCA Member and Chairman of Sarvodaya Development Finance, Channa de Silva recommends that small businesses, banks and the state need to change strategy to survive the economic fallout of Covid-19. Access to bank credit is a challenge for SMEs world over. When they do have the access, more..

Apr 17 (NR) The number of coronavirus recoveries today increased to 77. Another seven persons who tested positive for COVID-19 were discharged today after making a full recovery. Accordingly, 9 persons were discharged from hospitals today after 2 persons were discharged this afternoon. Three persons tested positive for the coronavirus in the country today increasing the total cases to 241. Three women who were lodged at the Punani quarantine centre tested positive today. more..

Apr 17 (EN) Sri Lanka�s B2 rating has been placed rating watch by Moody�s a rating agency for possible downgrade saying the rupee and tax revenues have fallen, but the agency would watch for three months or more how the country will manage the shock from Coronavirus. �The decision to place SL�s ratings on review for downgrade is prompted by Moody�s assessment that the acute tightening in global financing conditions, more..

Apr 17 (EN) Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi is confident that in the next few days the govt can lift the curfews and get the country rolling again. In a video statement released to the media she pointed out that the large majority of patients who are being confirmed as being infected with COVID 19 are being reported from the quarantine centres and not from society at large. �We have reached this stage because the President and the PM took the decision to safeguard the people of this country like more..

Apr 17 (AD) The Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Melbourne, along with the SL community organizations and well-wishers in Melbourne, is providing necessary assistance to the Sri Lankans affected in Melbourne by the current situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Home to a large number of Sri Lankans in Australia, Melbourne is one of the favourite destinations for Sri Lankans including students. There are nearly ten thousand SL students in higher education institutes in Melbourne. more..