The United National Party (UNP) urges the Government to take immediate steps to increase the PCR testing capabilities in the country.
The UNP has continually urged the Government to increase the number of PCR tests to 5,000 per day. UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe urged the government in March this year at the Party Leaders meeting to immediately increase the number of tests carried out in the country, while also increasing the number of ventilators and beds available in hospitals.
The Government chose to ignore the advice of the UNP, and consistently maintained daily PCR testing at under 2,000 per day until this latest breakout. If the government had increased the number of PCR tests to 5,000 in the months preceding this breakout, the health authorities would have been able to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The UNP also urges the Government to make the necessary measures to increase the number of ventilators and hospital beds as a precautionary measure.
“The health authorities have indicated that this current wave of COVID-19 could have spread to as many as 13 Districts, the government must recognize the severity of this outbreak,” UNP sources said.
