Qurantine centers & hotels for asymptomatic covid patients in future – Govt

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed health authorities to retain COVID-19 patients with complications in hospitals, while directing asymptomatic patients to non-hospital centres.

Co-Cabinet Spokesman Minister Ramesh Pathirane told the weekly cabinet media briefing held today that asymptomatic patients amount to 75-80% of the total count of patients.

As a result, President Rajapaksa has informed health authorities to direct such patients to select locations, such as hotels and quarantine centres, in the future.

The President had also instructed such patients to be placed under expert supervision while undergoing quarantine.

Minister Pathirane further said that the President had issued such directives as the number of COVID-19 patients being detected following the ‘second wave’ is reaching the initial capacity of 5000 hospital beds.

The decision has also been drawn after considering the criteria suggested by the Government Medical Officers Association and other specialist doctors to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

The President’s directives come in addition to yesterday’s decision to home quarantine first contacts of confirmed patients instead of transferring them to quarantine centres.