(UTV | COLOMBO) – President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said inaccurate figures on death toll related to COVID-19 reported on 11 June led to the extension of travel restrictions.
This was revealed by the President at a meeting with the Special COVID-19 Committee at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (18).
Though it was decided to lift travel restrictions on 14 June, steps were taken to extend the restrictions until 21 June based on the data received that 101 deaths were reported on 11 June.
Rajapaksa extensively elaborated on the data obtained by the Health sector and the Intelligence Unit following a thorough investigation conducted into the causes of deaths, and it was revealed that some of the deaths occurred during the 4-month period from 06 February to 11 June, and death certificates had also been issued. Information on certain deaths was found to have been mentioned twice.
The President said that it was revealed following an in-depth investigation that the death toll occurred on 11 June was not 101 but only 15.
He emphasised that accuracy and timeliness in the provision of data is essential for making the right decisions.