COLOMBO, 31 May 2021, (TON): Head of the National Operations Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO), Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army General Shavendra Silva, during meeting session of medical experts in the NOCPCO Task Force at Rajagiriya explained the reasons that led to the prolonged imposition of the prevailing travel restrictions by HE the President up until 7th June, Ongoing Vaccination Procedures and the need to sustain this restriction for better achievements in future.

The experts’ discussion was presided by General Shavendra Silva, together with Dr Asela Gunawardena, Director General of Health Services and Medical experts and other Specialists. All of them re-visited the status quo, transmission patterns of the deadly virus and evaluated emergency arrangements, existing strategies and their repercussions, co-operation between those responsible authorities and new cases/inmates in hospitals, ICCs and the state of Quarantine Centres (QCs), etc.

The NOCPCO Head explained that only 1/3 troops of the Army, i.e. only about 60,000 only got vaccines as a percentage and the Navy, Air Force and the Police are also the same. Only the majority at frontlines were given the vaccine although they are contributing tirelessly at ground level for conduct of vaccination centres across the country as advised by HE the President