Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella says the government will adopt a neutral policy despite various requests to impose a lockdown in order to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Government of Sri Lanka and the China Development Bank have entered into an agreement of RMB 2 billion – approximately Rs. 61.5 billion term Facility today (August 17), the Chinese Embassy in Colombo announced.

The Delta Variant of COVID 19 which has mutated into three different variants (SA 222V, SA 701S, SA 1078S) were identified in Sri Lanka, State Minister Channa Jaysumana told Parliament today (17).

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has responded positively to a request made by former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to call for an all party meeting when the two leaders met today, an official statement from the UNP said.

A new Gazette Extraordinary has specified the duties, functions and institutional & legal framework of the Ministry of Development Coordination and Monitoring.

New Minister of Mass Media Dullas Alahapperuma says TV channels will be launched in two weeks for children who are missing out on school education owing to the COVID-19 crisis.

State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Prof. Channa Jayasumana yesterday said that more than 300,000 adults aged 60 and over of the country’s population have not received even a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Sri Lanka yesterday recorded the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in a single day.

Senior DIG Ajith Rohana has been removed from the post of Police Media Spokesman and Senior Superintendent of Police Nihal Thalduwa has been appointed as the new Police Media Spokesman with immediate effect.

Seven Ministers were handed new portfolios today (16) in a cabinet reshuffle which got underway at the Presidential Secretariat a short while ago.

Former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen’s brother-in-law, Mohamed Ziyabdeen was released on a personal bail of Rs. 500,000/- by Colombo Chief Magistrate Buddhika Sri Ragala today (16).

The Government is prepared to go for a lockdown if health and other experts recommend, Pharmaceutical Production, Supply and Regulation State Minister Prof.Channa Jayasumana said yesterday.

The blood reserves at the National Blood Transfusion Service appear to have depleted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Director of the National Blood Centre (NBC) Dr. Lakshman Edirisinghe, who also said that 950 to 1,000 units of blood are required daily.

The JVP yesterday called on people to adopt all possible measures to ensure their protection without waiting till the government to impose lockdowns.

Sri Lanka yesterday recorded the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in a single day.