The activities of the Embilipitiya District General Hospital have been restricted to essential emergency services only.

The Director of the hospital Dr. Samantha Ramachandra stated that this situation has arisen as 14 staff members were diagnosed with COVID-19. As a result, she said, steps have been taken to temporarily suspend pre-planned surgeries and tests at the hospital and to deliver medicines by mail to patients attending clinics.

Steps were also taken yesterday to inform the public through the Embilipitiya Municipal Council to go to other regional hospitals in the area for treatment.

The capacity of the number of hospitals including Karapitiya, Ratnapura, Kalubowila, Lady Ridgeway Children's Hospital has already exceeded due to the increase in COVID patients.

Taking this situation into consideration, the Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi stated that it has been decided to implement the islandwide home care program for asymptomatic infected people in the Western Province under medical supervision from next Monday.

Meanwhile, Dr. Lal Panapitiya, Deputy Director-General of Medical Services at the Ministry of Health, said that some people are not following health guidelines in the face of the resurgence of COVID in Sri Lanka.

A case of a patient who was admitted to the Ragama Teaching Hospital for treatment was reported missing in the Kadawatha area. The 66-year-old man was admitted to the hospital on the 25th and his relatives stated that he was diagnosed with the infection two days later.

However, the daughter of the missing person said that the police had informed him that he had been missing since Thursday, the 29th while he was in the hospital.

Meanwhile, several employees of the Battaramulla head office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration have been suspended from issuing passports under normal service as they were diagnosed with COVID-19.

The department stated that passports will be issued under the one-day service only to clients who have essential service requirements.