Four medical associations call for 14-day travel restrictions

Four medical associations, calling a press conference today (May 21), urged the government to continue travel restrictions for a total of fourteen consecutive days.

The press conference was convened by Sri Lanka Medical Association, Government Medical Officers’ Association, Association of Medical Specialists and Medical Interdisciplinary Committee.

Chairman of Medical Specialists Association Dr. Lakkumara Fernando stressed that the government should not lift the travel restrictions on Tuesday (May 25) but extend the order for fourteen days.

He went on to point out that the authorities’ move to impose a three-day travel restriction recently had no scientific basis.

The efforts to arrest the spread of the virus will be pointless if travel restrictions are relaxed on Tuesday, Dr. Fernando said further, warning that daily deaths can amount to 100 in the future if the situation persists.

If the Epidemiology Unit and the government do not seek the opinions of experts, the prevailing situation could worsen, he cautioned.

Meanwhile, Chairman of Sri Lanka Medical Association Dr. Padma Gunaratna, who joined the media briefing, stated that the only solution to the current situation is to impose a strict order restricting travel for fourteen days.

A three-day lockdown alone cannot control the spread of the virus and lifting the restrictions in between is pointless, she said further, adding that a 14-day curfew or strict restrictions need to be enforced to properly limit public movement.

Dr. Gunaratna also cautioned that the country’s healthcare system is now on the verge of collapsing.