The health authorities yesterday (27) said that Sri Lanka is closely monitoring the possibilities of the new strain of the Covid-19 virus entering the country, and taking all necessary precautions to control the situation.
Speaking to The Morning, Secretary to the State Ministry of Primary Health Care, Epidemics, and Covid Disease Control Dr. Amal Harsha de Silva assured that the necessary technology to identify the new strain is available in the country, and the authorities are handling the situation.
When asked whether the virus could similarly undergo mutation in Sri Lanka, Dr. de Silva explained that viruses of this kind can mutate at any time.
It is reported that cases of the more contagious variant of Covid-19, first identified in the UK, have been confirmed in several European countries, as well as in Canada and Japan.
Infections linked to people who arrived from the UK were reported in Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, and France. However, a couple found infected in Ontario, Canada, had no known travel history or high-risk contacts, officials say. Meanwhile, Japan is set to ban most non-resident foreign nationals from entering the country for a month from today, BBC reported.
(The Morning)