NEWS – 27th of July 2021

COVID 19 Update 

•  NUMBER OF CASES 

• 1,737 cases reported on the 24th 

• 1,666 cases reported on the 25th 

• 1,665 cases reported on the 26th 

• Death Toll –  4,147 

• Free PCR testing will be available starting from today at the following stated locations till 11.30 am today. 

• Campbell Park 
• Paramanda Viharaya in Colombo 13 
• Old Town Hall in Pettah 
• CMC District Office down Deans Road

• All individuals aged 30 and above will be vaccinated by September. The Sri Lankan Army Commander states the extreme necessity for citizens to to get vaccinated, with over five children being tested positive with covid-19 every day.  

• The Sri Lankan Educational Minister shares his plan to have all teachers vaccinated with their 2nd dose, in time to reopen schools within the first week of September. The Educational Minister has organized a specifically designed plan for schools to reopen, with the approval of the Health Authorities. 

• 90,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday. 

• Sri Lanka reaches the milestone of 7 million Covid-19 vaccinated citizens. 
• Over 400,000 individuals have been vaccinated, creating a new record on the 25th 

• Sri Lankan Health Authorities demand all individuals to follow health guidelines, with 68 Delta cases being identified. The Delta virus has been identified in every district in Sri Lanka, with the Delta variant being recorded in 30% of Coronavirus cases, in the Western province. It is vital that all individuals wear face masks at all times, stay sanitized, avoid large social gatherings and unnecessary travelling.   

• Monkeypox Virus 

A new virus similar to smallpox has been identified in 27 different states in the United States of America. Over 200 people have been infected with the virus that was first discovered in 1958. The virus is not fatal if properly treated for, but can easily be transmitted to others, through physical contact with humans or animals. 

OLYMPICS UPDATE 

• • Sri Lankan Badminton player Niluka Karunaratne has been eliminated from the Olympics, as he was beaten by Nhat Nguyen, Badminton player of Ireland, yesterday with a score of 2-0. 
  • Chamara Nuwan Dharmawardena, Sri Lankan Judo player has also been eliminated from the Tokyo Olympics, after he was beaten by Aiden Alexander Housein representing Djibouti, with a score of 10-0, yesterday. 

• Swimmer Mathew Abeysinghe representing Sri Lanka in the Olympics will be competing today, in a 100m freestyle race for men.  

THE RAPE AND DEATH OF A 16 YEAR OLD

The wife, brother-in-law and father-in-law have all been remanded till the 09th of August, in regard to the case of Hishalini. The Court has also approved for a fresh post mortem to be conducted. 

Nurse attacked by Monk 

Bhuddist monk from the Anamaduwa Kumaragama Temple attacked a nurse at a hospital in Anamaduwa with a glass plate. The monk was taken to the hospital to receive a PCR test, as he had symptoms of a cold. Stating that the PCR test was “too painful”, he attacked the nurse with a glass plate. The nurse had collapsed due to the pain and was immediately rushed to get treated for her severe wounds. He has now been arrested and will be produced in court. 

17 YEAR OLD RAPED BY TEACHER 

An Information Technology teacher in an International School in Gampaha has sexually abused a 17 year old student. The 49 year old had offered to help the girl purchase educational material for an inexpensive rate, and had taken her to Colombo. The 17 year old female student had informed her mother that the teacher would help her purchase the books she needed, in hopes of migrating to England to live with her aunt. The IT teacher had raped the student in his vehicle in a car park, and had been spotted by a three-wheeler driver who informed the police about the incident immediately. The teenager was rushed to the Mulleriyawa hospital, where it was confirmed that she had been sexually abused following medical examinations.   

POLICE WILL RAID HOUSES IN COLOMBO 

Senior DIG and Police spokesman Ajith Rohana stated that due to the Hishalini case, the police will raid houses in the Western province to investigate into the illegal employment of under aged domestic workers. It has also been identified that many child maids are being employed and abused by their employers. Legal action will be taken against all individuals found guilty with having employed anyone under the legal domestic worker employment age of 18.