Apr 2 (DM) SriLankan Airlines has implemented cost saving measures to ensure survival of national carrier and livelihoods of employees, including the mandatory salary reductions from the staff starting from 2.5% to 25% for a period of three months, the airlines said. “These measures include mandatory salary reductions from the staff starting from 2.5% to 25% for a period of three months, freezing all the salary increments to be more..

Apr 2 (Island) Former Western Province Governor and leader of NUA, Azath S Salley, has requested Prez Rajapaksa to inquire into the circumstances under which a Muslim victim of coronavirus was cremated, contrary to specific instructions issued by the govt. Text of Salley's letter to the President: "The second death in SL, from Covid-19, was a SL Muslim patient. According to the circular that was amended and approved by the President of SL, with the recommendation of WHO and other more..

Apr 2 (AD) A total of 300 individuals, who have had contacts with the patient who succumbed to COVID-19 on Wednesday, have been sent for quarantine, says Commander of Army. He mentioned that this group was directed to the quarantine facility in Punani. In the meantime, another 2,000 residents at the apartment complex where this patient was living in have been put under self-isolation. His daughter, son-in-law and their children were hospitalized on suspicion of being infected with the virus. more..

Apr 2 (DM) Defence Ministry Secretary Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Kamal Gunaratne said while fighting against COVID-19, all intelligence agencies, including military intelligence, were also kept on high alert to face any possible security threat, including re-grouping of certain elements involve in terrorism and extremism. He said the military and Police personnel were deployed, island wide, to maintain law and order, to restrict people’s movement more..

Apr 2 (Island) North Western Province Governor A.J.M Muzammil requests the public to act responsibly and continue extending their fullest support to the govt. While noting that this is a difficult time in the country for everyone, Governor stressed the importance of understanding the seriousness of the disease. “The entire Govt machinery is working towards protecting the people of this country from the pandemic, Covid -19. Under the leadership and guidance of Prez Gotabaya Rajapakse, more..

Apr 2 (EN) Police are denying social media reports that the country will be in total lockdown from April 10 to April 15, where all food deliveries will be discontinued. Police Media Spokesman Superintendant Jaliya Senaratne told reporters Thursday that these reports are not true. The posts, widely circulated on social media said: “A total lockdown is to be enforced from 10-15th April. During this period, authorities will enforce the law strictly. more..

Apr 2 (AD) Third COVID-19 death in SL was reported from the IDH Wednesday (1). The patient, a 73-year-old from Maradana, had tested positive for coronavirus on the same day while receiving treatment at Sri J'pura Hospital. However, later in the evening, he had succumbed to the virus on admission to the IDH in Angoda. The deceased, who had been suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease, more..

Apr 2 (DM) Public Health Inspectors across the island are to suspend their services related to the control of the Covid-19 pandemic from Saturday (April 4) unless their needs are met by the government. Issuing a statement, the Public Health Inspectors’ Union President M.G.U. Rohana said that with the present need for pandemic control, Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) across Sri Lanka have been engaged in their duties, sans any request for benefits. more..

Apr 2 (AD) Two suspects connected to the Easter Sunday terror attacks have been arrested, Jaliya Senaratne. He said that these arrests were made based on the investigations carried out along the arrest of the main suspect who had organized the suicide bomb attack Zion Church in Batticaloa. One of the suspects –a male from Gothatuwa –had allegedly assisted in the coordination of the attack on Cinnamon Grand hotel in Colombo and transported the suicide bomber to the hotel. more..

Apr 2 (Island) Transparency International SL (TISL) calls on the Presidential Secretariat to publicly disclose all relevant documents in the case of the presidential pardon afforded to the convict in the case of the Mirusuvil Massacre of Dec 2000. TISL is concerned that failure to do so could result in irreparable damage to the separation of powers between the executive and judiciary especially given that the conviction & sentencing in this case more..

Apr 2 (AD) Sri Lanka will ban all non-essential imports except for fuel and medicine and launch a drive to grow vegetables, Minister Ramesh Pathirana said as the island battled against Coronavirus and the currency came under pressure from liquidity injections. “The govt has decided to ban and limit non-essential imports except essential drugs and fuel,” Minister said. “The main objective is in the near future to build a strong domestic agriculture and strong domestic industries.” more..

Apr 2 (TM) PickMe says its full fleet of 40,000 vehicles which is ready to be utilised for the delivery of essentials in the country is currently underutilised. “Currently, we have the full strength of cars, three-wheelers, and motorcycles spread across the country on standby. We are right now working with about two thousand vehicles, with Sathosa and Litro Gas. We have already delivered to 22,000 homes in the last nine days, but the demand is growing and we are gearing to expand our network in more..

Apr 2 (EN) Sri Lanka has relaxed all restrictions on foreign currency inflows while its Central Bank issued a global appeal to Sri Lankans and charities to make foreign currency deposits in the country’s banks to assist in efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. CB released a letter Thursday co-signed by CB Governor W.D. Lakshman and Treasury Secretary S. R. Attygalle on behalf of the Cabinet of Minister, which appealed to all more..

Apr 2 (AD) Tests carried out by the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) have confirmed that the quality of water in the Kelani River has improved. The CEA yesterday (01) collected water samples from the Kelani River for water quality monitoring for analysis. Accordingly, it has been revealed that the quality of water in the Kelani River has improved yesterday as per the standard measures. CEA says that the turbidity levels of the water are as good as ever reported in recent history. more..

Apr 2 (AD) SL Police says that 10,039 individuals have been arrested from across the island so far for violating the curfew currently in effect. In addition to this, police have also taken into custody a total of 2,489 vehicles. Police had arrested 305 persons within the 6 hours between 12 noon and 6 pm today while 77 vehicles were taken into custody during that time period. Police had previously warned of strict legal action against people caught violating the countrywide curfew. more..

Apr 2 (AD) A university student has been arrested and remanded for spreading false information on social media regarding the Coronavirus, police said today. Police Spokesman stated that a 4th year university student had been arrested and that he was ordered remanded until April 09 after being produced before court. He said that the CID has so far arrested 5 persons for spreading false news and false information related to COVID-19 outbreak via internet & that they are being investigated. more..

Apr 2 (AD) Another patient has tested positive for COVID-19 today, bringing the confirmed cases tally to 151, the Ministry of Health says. Accordingly, a total of 5 coronavirus patients were found during the course of the day. Two of them were identified as the son-in-law and the grandson of the patient who succumbed to the virus on Wednesday (01). 127 coronavirus patients are currently under medical care, while 12 of the confirmed cases have made a complete recovery. more..

Apr 2 (NR) Former Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa has tabled five proposals to help contain the spread of COVID-19. He tabled the proposals at a party leaders meeting held under the patronage of PM Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Temple Trees today. Premadasa proposed to expand the COVID-19 testing mechanism while also suggesting to fast track the supply of personal protective equipment for healthcare more..

Apr 2 (CT) The world has been attacked by the most widely spread pandemic the world has ever experienced. It has had seismic effects on the entire world – almost no country has been spared from its terrifying repercussions. We humans prided ourselves that we had conquered Mother Nature. We indiscriminately destroyed her bountiful forests, thereby destroying large numbers of wild life or creating unnatural conditions in which humans were called upon to live in close proximity with more..

Apr 3 (CT) Scarcely two decades had lapsed after the surrender of the Kandyan kingdom when the trek of the Indian Tamils commenced in 1817 to 1880, which was no less arduous, cruel and degrading than what the American Negro was subjected to in the bowels of slave ships that traversed the Atlantic at this time. The rape of the forests of Lanka had commenced and the slave drivers to be, in the guise of Head Kanganies sent out by the colonial land grabbers were scouring more..

Apr 3 (TM) In a town called Murrukkanthivu in Kanniyadi, Batticaloa, 18-year-old Lojini gets on the ferry every Saturday morning, paying the toll of Rs. 10, including the fee for her bike, to get to Aharam Institute in the mainland, where she attends tuition classes conducted by old students from in and around Batticaloa; returnees to the area who have decided to give back to their community by conducting classes for O/L, A/L more..

Apr 3 (CT) While the Govt of SL has imposed a curfew beginning from 6pm 24 March and continuing indefinitely to date, a total of a record 10 days, impacting the totality of the Western Province (WP) and the Puttalam District since, with Kandy and Jaffna being added on subsequently since Sunday (29) to combat the coronavirus pandemic, in conjunction with these moves, beggars too have increased, reminiscent of the seven year old Sirima Bandaranaike regime of 1970-'77 where more..

Apr 3 (DM) Normalcy can be defined as a state where we enjoy freedom from fear and hunger. With the new coronavirus pandemic spreading faster than virologists could imagine, the extent to which we fear death and disease determines the degree to which normalcy is destroyed. The fear of uncertainty has reached a level unprecedented in living memory for many, especially for those who were heedless to the suffering of fellow human beings. Since we began to roam this planet, we have been living with more..

Apr 3 (DM) The world is mourning. SL too is in a critical state as two lives were already claimed by the killer coronavirus or COVID-19. Although people continue to stay indoors, it may not be a merry-making time for all. A photo portrayed women being admitted to the National Hospital’s Accident Ward as a result of domestic violence, was widely shared on social media at the onset of the curfew. Another Twitter post by ECPAT more..

Apr 3 (CT) At a time when nature inflicts the universe with a health crisis that strikes our midst without warning, the magnitude of its destructive force which has compelled the mightiest of Nations on to their knees, where then lies the difficulty to comprehend the plight we Sri Lankans confront. The unusual circumstances surrounding this dilemma has gradually commenced suffocating us in every sense of the word giving us hardly any breathing space while it not only weakens us but more..

Apr 3 (DM) Long queues seen at pharmacies on Thursday (2) reminded us that life is short and could become terribly shorter. We’ve learned discipline and honouring private space; now when we stand in queues we have to maintain a distance of one metre from the person who is standing in front of us. COVID -19 pandemic is teaching us painful lessons. One of the best lessons is about living with a lot less. The number of coconuts used in Sri Lankan homes during a day and how much of each more..

Apr 3 (Island) Let Cassandra start her conversation with you this first week of April with a whoop of joy, so different you will say, to her usual jibing and fault finding. Cass is still up there having seen The Island newspaper lying on her doorstep: a real paper issue! It was a ray of sunshine on a darkly foreboding day; a friend come a visiting after a long hiatus, and she hugged the newspaper. She immediately recalled a poem she learnt (or was made to learn) as a kid in Form 2 (Grade 7). more..

Apr 3 (Island) For once, I am not referring to politicians though they can be great mimics with attended danger. I am referring to something much more dangerous, though so tiny, it cannot be seen even with a microscope. You need an electron microscope to see this tiny bomb and images captured with transmission electron microscopy show a beautiful virus with spikes on the surface, making it look like a crown; hence, the term Coronavirus. It is a group of viruses that more..

Apr 3 (TM) Social distancing has forced people to find ways of entertaining themselves at home. While dealing with boredom is the least of many of our worries, it is something felt by those who are fortunate enough to not be lacking basic necessities – and they handle this by turning to social media to stay occupied. One of the better things that has come out of this hyperfocus on social media is some positive trends that have more..

Apr 3 (Island) SL politicians believe in numerology. Some SLPP leaders must be considering ‘19’ an unlucky number. The 19th Amendment (19-A) has become a thorn in their side. They are hell bent on scrapping 19-A as they need a strong executive presidency to prevent the next administration, they are planning to form, from keeling over, in case they fail to secure a comfortable majority, in the House. While being troubled by 19-A, they have had to contend with C-19 (or Covid-19). more..

Apr 3 (Island) It’s been exactly nine years since SL lost a closely contested World Cup final to India in Bombay and more than any big defeat, this one hurts fans most for a variety of reasons. Mainly, Sri Lankans hate losing to India. It is not only a phenomenon that is found in our part of the world, but all over, the smaller brother hates losing to the bigger one - All Blacks hate losing to Wallabies in rugby, Everton hate losing to Manchester United in football while DS hate losing to more..

Apr 3 (DN) Having struggled for the best part of his international cricket career with a string of injuries that had prevented him from displaying his outstanding talents as an all-rounder, Angelo Mathews was showing signs of having gradually coming out of that rut with some eye-catching performances against Zimbabwe and West Indies and lining himself up for battle with Joe Root’s Englishmen when the coronavirus broke out and more..

Apr 3 (CT) Openly Prez Rajapaksa supporter Chathura Alwis of Derana TV was unwittingly exposed last Tuesday when several racist slurs hurled at Muslims were inadvertently aired during a break in the political talkshow – Wadapitiya. The Wadapitiya talkshow was attended by Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage – who too had been caught in making a racist comment just a few days back, immediate former State Minister Arundika Fernando from the govt side and more..

Apr 3 (CT) The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has announced it is deploying its Bank-on-Wheels Mobile ATM units in areas where curfews are in force, to provide urgently needed access to cash to members of the public. The Bank said a schedule containing details of the locations and times that these mobile banking units are operating will be announced each day on the Bank's website as well as on the Bank's Facebook and Instagram pages. Commercial Bank's Bank-on-Wheels units more..

Apr 3 (Island) A very constructive discussion, of over two hours, took place at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday (1) between the Govt and the UNP representatives. The discussion was focused on the prevailing conditions in the country, due to the spread of COVID-19. Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa led the discussions from the Govt’s side, a communiqué from the prez secretariat said. more..

Apr 3 (CT) Consultant Epidemiologist Dr. Deepa Gamage appealed to parents not to entertain any fear over the delay in administering the age appropriate vaccines for their infants and children below five years of age, on time, owing to the current crisis situation in the country. Even though the vaccines would be given late, the Epidemiology Unit in collaboration with FHB would ensure that those delayed vaccines would be given to those infants and children at a later date. more..

Apr 3 (PMD) The Presidential Secretariat had received information about several instances of fraudsters collecting money using COVID – 19 Healthcare and Social Security Fund as cover. Secretary to the President requests the public to make their contributions to the Fund only through direct bank deposits, cheques or any other approved mean and not to donate money to any organizations or individuals. The Govt advises the entire population to observe health quarantine. more..

Apr 3 (EN) A 58-year-old man who succumbed to severe pneumonia is SL’s fourth victim of the COVID 19 virus, an official govt statement said. He was receiving treatment at IDH in Angoda. Meanwhile, the number of cases detected in the country rose to 151, Health Promotion Bureau reported. Yesterday, a 72-year-old man who had been admitted to the Sri J'pura Hospital died as he was being transferred to IDH by ambulance. more..