Sri Lanka has been successful in countering the threat of Covid-19, but its achievement has not been duly recognised globally, said former Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, Dr. PalithaKohona.
He told the Sunday Observer that Sri Lanka has been successful compared to most countries, in the fight against Covid-19.
The mind-numbing figures of death and infectionsfound in many countries have been prevented in Sri Lanka. An infection rate of just over 800 with nine deaths in a population of over 21 million is a sign of containing the spread of the disease.
“But surprisingly, no headlines applauding the success of this small relatively poor Indian Ocean island embellish the front pages,” he said.
Sri Lankan companies, hospitals and even government institutions invented tools which help prevent the spread of Covid-19, but they did not receive global attention, he said.
Even the missions to bring back Sri Lankans overseas by SriLankan airlines and the subsequent procedure to quarantine them have gone unnoticed, Dr.Kohona said.
“Sri Lanka reacted rapidly to early warnings of a new virus strain by the Chinese and World Health Organization(WHO) authorities, while most Western countries carried on unconcerned, believing that it was only a problem for China. The Government rapidly mobilised its limited resources, despite uncertainties, with the state funded health service responding with impressive efficiency and the security establishment: the armed forces, the police and the civil defence units, being marshaled with speed.
“The rapid escalation of the Covid-19 pandemic caught most countries by surprise, although red flags had been raised. The world was put on notice on December 31, 2019, when the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission reported an unusual cluster of cases of pneumonia.
A novel coronavirus was quickly identified. On January 1, 2020, the WHO set up an Incident Management Support Team (IMST) across the three levels of the organisation: headquarters, regional headquarters and country level, putting the organisation on an emergency footing for dealing with the still uncertain outbreak. The WHO, under-staffed due to the Christmas/New Year holidays, was still uncertain about the nature and implications of the new virus.
WHO guidelines
“On January 4, the WHO reported on social media that there was a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, with no deaths as yet. The next day, it published its first disease outbreak news. On January 10, the WHO issued a comprehensive package of technical guidance online with advice to all countries on how to detect, test and manage potential cases, based on what was known about the virus. On January 12, China shared the genetic sequence of Covid-19 with the world. The next day, officials confirmed a case of Covid-19 in Thailand, the first recorded case outside China.
“Sri Lanka, taking note of the rapidly escalating threat, reacted quickly and adopted the WHO guidelines. Others continued their normal lifestyles and are paying a lethal price with thousands of deaths. Sri Lanka’s state-funded universal health care service possessed considerable, but unheralded expertise in managing deadly diseases, having eliminated malaria and polio, grappled with AIDS, SARS, H1N1, Chikungunya and MERS and was substantially containing Dengue. In 2005, it avoided the much anticipated epidemics following the Indian Ocean tsunami.
“Taking the initiative and acting proactively, prior to January 27, the Health Ministry had instructed the Quarantine Unit at the Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo, to screen passengers for suspicious symptoms. The ministry warned that infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and people who suffer from chronic diseases, among other issues, should avoid visiting crowded places.
“A 22-member National Action Committee was set up by the Ministry to address various aspects of Covid-19. The Department of Immigration and Emigration also informed construction sites with Chinese resident visa holders to restrict Chinese employees to their workplaces and lodgings.
“On January 27, the first confirmed case of the virus was reported in Sri Lanka, a 44-year-old Chinese woman tourist from Hubei Province who had been screened at the Bandaranaike International Airport and was detected with a high fever. She was isolated at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. The woman recovered fully, and returned home on February 19.
“The demand for face masks in the country soared following the first case. As a result, the drug regulatory agency instituted price controls on face masks. Thirty-three Sri Lankan students and families were evacuated from Wuhan on February 1 and quarantined at a centre established at a military facility at Diyatalawa. They were released after two weeks of quarantine on February 14.
“With the situation in China deteriorating and signs of the virus spreading to other countries at a frightening speed, more stringent restrictions were adopted, curtailing the freedom of movement. Individual freedoms were restricted, but the common good of the people and the limited ability of the country to cope with a widespread epidemic began to dominate thinking. Sri Lanka began restricting entry into the country.
“Since the first week of March, passengers from Italy, Iran, and South Korea were to be quarantined for two weeks at one of the two facilities. On March 10, 186 people (164 Sri Lankans, 20 Italian nationals, and two South Korean nationals) were placed under quarantine in Batticaloa.
“Following further developments, the country suspended on arrival visas for tourists on March 11. An awareness campaign was launched through the radio, TV and even private phones. The public reaction has been supportive.
“The military had established more quarantine centres around the country and have been praised for their efficiency and the excellent facilities. As of March 23, 45 quarantine centres had been built by the Army. The private sector made available unoccupied hotels to house people being quarantined. Nearly 3,500 people, including 31 foreigners from 14 countries, have been isolated in the quarantine centres.
Impact on the economy
“Schools, universities and work places were closed. Transport ground to a halt. The agricultural sector was affected with little or no collection of the harvest. The impact on the economy has been massive. Since Covid-19 was continuing to take a deadly toll in China, Sri Lankans even organised religious ceremonies to invoke the blessings of the Triple Gem on the victims of the virus.
“In contrast to Sri Lanka, in the developed world, especially in the US and Europe, life continued gaily without a worry about the tidal wave of infections and deaths that would engulf them within weeks. Many went on as usual, including making travel plans, lulled in to a false sense of security, encouraged by the leadership.
“The media focused on US President Trump’s casual throwaway lines (hydroxychloroquine will cure the illness, the coming warm weather will eliminate it, it will disappear by April), or UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s flippant dismissal of Covid-19, until he himself was carted off to the ICU).
“Riots have erupted in some parts of the world as Covid-19 exploded and politicians began to look for scapegoats, while the people were beginning to be squeezed by massive unemployment and lack of access to food and services. Riots broke out in a Muslim neighborhood north of Paris over the weekend. The immediate cause was a traffic offence and a violation of the lockdown. The deeper cause was the popular belief that police were using the lockdown as an excuse to harass Muslims.
“In Berlin, more than 100 people were arrested after demonstrators protesting lockdown rules confronted police. In Israel, ultra-Orthodox Jews clashed with police while protesting coronavirus restrictions. In Pakistan, there have been demonstrations sparked by fears that steps to tackle the outbreak will result in hunger. Lebanon has seen violent crowds protesting hunger, corruption and unemployment. Armed protesters gathered in front of government offices in Chicago.
“Some countries have been lauded in the international media for their success in countering Covid-19. The media reported that South Korea’s widespread testing and contact tracing lead to the first day with no new cases.
“Hi-tech supported testing is at the heart of the country’s coronavirus strategy, declared South Korean Foreign Minister, Kang Kyung-wha, at a virtual World Economic Forum Covid Task Force meeting. On April 15, some 29 million people turned up to vote in parliamentary elections, and no known infections have arisen, thanks to strict social distancing. Israel has circulated a video highlighting its Covid-19 achievements, including in Sinhala.The media has hailed Israel for its success.
“The media reported that New Zealand is planning to relax controls with the alert level 4 lockdown ending in one week. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the nation will shift into the lighter alert level 3. CNBC reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced plans to ease restrictions introduced to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing rules will stay in place until at least May 3, with Merkel also recommending the use of face masks in shops and on public transport. And schools will gradually start to reopen from May 4.
Women leaders
Women leaders have been particularly impressive in the face of the Covid-19 challenge. (E.g. Merkel, Ardern, and Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan) Denmark, Switzerland and Austria are among the European countries taking steps to end the lockdown. Schools and shops will reopen - but leaders acknowledged this is a delicate balancing act.
“As of May 4, around 700 confirmed cases have been reported in Sri Lanka with only nine deaths. The statistics are impressive. Sri Lanka is planning to relax the restrictions by 11 May. The General Election is expected on June 20. It had not suffered too many deaths compared to many other countries, but many Sri Lankans feel that their achievement has not received the recognition that other countries have.
“It might also be that Sri Lanka has not made an effort to convey its achievements to the global media and its counterparts around the world. While the important thing is for us to be safe, in the global village, making others aware of your successes (and shortcomings) has tremendous tangible benefits.
A world, not being aware of our successes, will not necessarily turn to us. Nor will they seek our assistance even though we are capable of extending such assistance.”