Preps for SL polls continue amid rise in COVID-19 cases

Commission member S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole said that the election schedule is based on the Parliamentary Elections Act and the date was set in motion by a presidential proclamation. The Commission is yet to inform a plan to postpone the election after the second case was confirmed.

Colombo: Sri Lanka's National Elections Commission (EC) was continuing with its preparations for the April 25 parliamentary polls despite the number of coronavirus cases in the island nation rose to two.

The Commission said that it has not been informed yet of any plan to postpone the election after the second case was confirmed on Thursday.

Commission member S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole said on Friday that the election schedule is based on the Parliamentary Elections Act and the date was set in motion by a presidential proclamation.

"To postpone the election, only the President can act by revoking his proclamation and issuing a new one," Hoole said. Until such a proclamation is issued, the Commission said it will go ahead with its plans to hold the polls on April 25.

Meanwhile, the second coronavirus case is a 44-year-old Sri Lankan man who shared an accommodation with the first patient, a 52-year-old tour guide.

While both individuals were currently receiving treatment at Colombo's Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH), the Health Services Director General Anil Jasinghe said the first patient's son has not tested positive, despite reports being circulated online, reports the Daily Financial Times.

However, the first patient's family is being home-quarantined, with daily monitoring taking place.

In addition to this, a driver connected to the first patient has also been home-quarantined.

In South Asia, India (75), Pakistan (20), Bhutan (one), Maldives (two), Afghanistan (seven) and Nepal (one), Bangladesh (three) have reported cases.

On Thursday, India became the first country in the region to report a death due to the disease.

(With inputs from IANS)