The entrepreneurs who obtained the low-interest government loan to revive businesses affected by COVID-19 can now apply to Central Bank of Sri Lanka for an extension up to nine months to pay back the loan. The interest for this loan was 4% and the recipients were given 24 months to payback. The government previously offered six months grace period and now the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has agreed

The Secretary to the Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka Prof. Kapila Perera said that the tuition and the nursery education was not allowed in the country although shools outside Western Province would be open from November 23.  

Sri Lanka major opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya Kandy district MP M. Velu Mumar said that entire Nuwaraeliya district has only one PCR testing machine. He expressed these views addressing a press conference held by the opposition today.He accused that the government had not allocated money to increase health facilities of the poor people like estate workers despite their vulnerability.  He

Sri Lanka's Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport is equipped with a Robotic Arm PCR Testing facility. The facility will reduce the time taken to conduct PCR testing and reporting from 8 hours to approximately 2.5 hours.The speed robotic PCR testing facility is capable of testing 32 samples in parallel, enable significantly safer and faster testing and reporting regime in a mere 2.5 hours ...

Sri Lanka was added to England's safe travel list on Thursday, November 19th. Travellers from Sri Lanka will no longer have to self-isolate on arrival in England from Saturday November 21st.The other countries that were newly included to this facility are Namibia, Rwanda, Bonaire, St Eustatius & Saba, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Sri Lanka does not provide this

20th  amendment to the constitution of Sri Lanka became valid since today, 29th October 2020. Under Sri Lanka's law, a constitutional amendment is valid since the day the Speaker sign it and the Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abewardane signed the relevant document today. 20th amendment to the constitution was passed on 22nd October with two-third majority in the parliament. 

Sri Lanka police found a COVID-19 infected woman who had escaped the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (IDH). Police are investigating the woman's associations.  The woman was hiding in a thicket in Eheliyagoda and police found her with the help of the villagers. She is suspected of being a drug addict and a peddler. She was identified as 26-year-old Ruwani Nisansala who had been

An incident of teachers not attending to a student who collapsed in the school was reported from a leading school in Embilipitiya in Sri Lanka on November 23. The teachers were afraid due to COVID-19 and the incident took place on the first day after the school re-opening. The teachers said they had not been informed about the actions to take in such situations and no protective equipment had

Health Promotion Bureau of Sri Lanka Ministry of Health issued guidelines for people who are under home quarantine. The persons who have either associated or suspected of associating a COVID-19 person but do not show symptoms must undergo self-quarantine at home. If the associate is a first-level contact of a COVID-19 patient the entire family must undergo home quarantine. However, the family

India Meteorological Department (IMD) says a well-marked but inconsequential low-pressure area over the South-West Arabian Sea is expected to become a depression by Sunday, November 22. This depression is forecast to move in a typical West-North-West direction towards the coast of Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu during the subsequent days, the IMD outlook said.Meanwhile, Met Department of Sri Lanka

Director of Epidemiology Unit, Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said that the quarantine of the associates of the COVID-19 patients will be done at home in future. Only the persons like patients with chronic illnesses who cannot undergo home quarantine will be admitted to a quarantine centre.  The persons under home quarantine will be freed after 14 days ...

Sri Lanka has decided to suspend travel between districts except for essential services. The decision was announced after a discussion with the Presidential Task Force on the Prevention of COVID-19  Addressing the participants of the discussion, Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that the government's policy of quarantining the COVID-19 suspected persons at home was successful. At a

WHO has agreed to vaccinate about 20% against COVID-19, Sri Lanka Ministry of Health said in a press release. However, vaccination for COVID-19 immunity is yet to be invented. The press release said that WHO agreed to this at a discussion held at the Ministry of Health. Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi, State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Prof. Channa

The wife of a bus driver of Sri Lanka who was found dead near his house yesterday (Nov 08) said that her husband might have committed suicide by hanging himself due to fear of coronavirus.  The driver of state-owned Sri Lanka Transport Board transported hospital staff to Nagoda General Hospital of Kalutara during the curfew in the past week. The wife said that he had been in trauma after one

Dr. Janaki Vidanapathirana, Acting Director, National Cancer Control Programme points out that around 23,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year in Sri Lanka. "I am requesting the media, who hold immense power, curate content that will decrease the taboo, encourage early detection and drive people to access services to help save lives,” she asked recently at a ceremony held to ...

Sri Lanka police and security forces have started the use of high tech drones and helicopters to discipline the people in locked-down areas. News bulletins showed footage of drone cameras and Air Force helicopters that spied in Modara locked-down area in Colombo city. Police and military personnel in large numbers were seen ready for raid and high power patrol motorcycles were shown entering into

Sri Lanka's grade 5 scholarship examination results are out. The practical pass mark of this examination is around 85% in most districts of the country. In Sinhala medium, the cut off mark is 169 in Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kandy, Matale, Galle and Matara districts.At least five students have reportedly achieved all 200 marks in the examination.  The highly competitive grade 5 scholarship

Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa directed the officials of Central Cultural Fund to fund for a museum for Veddah community to place the artefacts returned by the University of Edinburgh. A museum is to be built in Dambana, the home of a section of Sri Lanka's indigenous Veddah community, to exhibit the ancient skulls and other artefacts belonging to the community. The skulls taken

A Sri Lankan family whose temporary protection visas have since been rejected and appealed hit headlines of some of the Australian media due to the protests of their neighbours demanding let them stay.Mechanic Rajitha Udawatta, the family's primary visa holder, passed away in September, leaving his wife Florence and three of their four children in a precarious position, Daily Mail Australia

Sri Lanka Ministry of Health and COVID-19 Task Force have granted permission to go ahead with 2020 LPL (Lankan Premier League) of Sri Lanka Cricket. Commenting on Twitter about this permission, Minister of Sports Namal Rajapaksa thanked President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, saying this is indicatory of the government's commitment to adapt to new normalcy and to return