Summary of COVID-19 Prevention & Control 

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Divisional Secretary - 0773588656
Assistant Director - 0718143556
Administrative Officer - 0718398427
Disaster Management Officer - 0710149444

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Shops which will be kept Open During Lock Down 

• Grocery Items
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Donations 

If you wish to Make a Donation for the Needy in the Division
Please Feel Free to Contact Us.

Divisional Secretary - 0773588656
Assistant Director - 0718143556
Administrative Officer - 0718398427
Disaster Management Officer - 0710149444

Essential Food Supply

Humanitarian Work - Photo Gallery

Circulars - Covid 19 

• උත්ගත වී ඇති ව්‍යසානකාරී තත්වය නිසා පීඩාවට පත් වු පවුල් වලට සහ නිරෝධායනයට යොමු කල පවුල් වලට සහන සැලසීම.
• කොවිඩ් - 19 ව්‍යාප්තිය පාලනය කිරීම සඳහා රට තාවකාලිකව වසා දැමීම හේතුවෙන් ජීවනෝපාය අහිමි වී ඇති පවුල් සඳහා රු.2000/= ක දීමනාවක් ගෙවීම.

Question & Answers on COVID 19 

•  What is a pandemic?
  
  

  A pandemic is an epidemic (infectious disease outbreak) that spreads on a global scale. Pandemics usually occur when a new infectious disease emerges that can spread rapidly around the world.

  The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a pandemic on 11 March 2020. This COVID-19 pandemic is the first caused by a coronavirus. (WHO)

• What causes pandemics?
  
  

  A pandemic can occur when a new virus emerges and there is worldwide spread of the disease. Most people do not have immunity to a new virus. Viruses that have caused past pandemics usually come from animal viruses that have mutated to affect humans.

  For a new virus to have pandemic potential it must meet three criteria:

  • humans have little or no pre-existing immunity against the virus
  • the virus causes disease in humans
  • the virus can spread efficiently from person to person.

  Previous pandemics include Spanish Influenza in 1918 or H1N1 Swine Flu in 2009. Only Type A influenza viruses have been known to cause influenza pandemics. This COVID-19 pandemic is the first caused by a coronavirus.

• What are coronaviruses?
  
  

  Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. Some coronaviruses cause illness in humans and others cause illness in animals, such as bats, camels, and civets. Human coronaviruses generally cause mild illness, such as the common cold.

  Rarely, animal coronaviruses can evolve to infect and spread among humans, causing severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which emerged in 2002, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) which emerged in 2012.
  
  

• What is the COVID-19 virus?
  
  

  COVID-19 is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans. It was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, where it has caused a large and ongoing outbreak. It has since spread more widely in China. Cases have since been identified in several other countries. The COVID-19 virus is closely related to a bat coronavirus.

  There is much more to learn about how COVID-19 is spread, its severity, and other features associated with the virus; epidemiological and clinical investigations are ongoing.

  Outbreaks of new coronavirus infections among people are always a public health concern. The situation is evolving rapidly.

• How is the virus spread? 
  
  

  Human coronaviruses are spread from someone infected with COVID-19 virus to other close contacts with that person through contaminated droplets spread by coughing or sneezing, or by contact with contaminated hands, surfaces or objects.

  The time between when a person is exposed to the virus and when symptoms first appear is typically 5 to 6 days, although may range from 2 to 14 days. For this reason, people who might have been in contact with a confirmed case are being asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

  Most COVID-19 cases appear to be spread from people who have symptoms. A small number of people may have been infectious before their symptoms developed.

• How long does COVID-19 last on surfaces?
  
  

  According to the World Health Organization, it is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronaviruses. Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions (e.g. type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment).

  If you think a surface may be infected, clean it with a common household disinfectant to kill the virus and protect yourself and others. Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose.

• What are the symptoms? 
  
  

  Patients may have fever, cough, runny nose, shortness of breath and other symptoms.

  In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia with severe acute respiratory distress.

• What is the difference between COVID-19 and the flu? 
  
  

  The first symptoms of COVID-19 and influenza (flu) infections are often very similar. They both cause fever and similar respiratory symptoms, which can then range from mild through to severe disease, and sometimes can be fatal.

  Both viruses are also transmitted in the same way, by coughing or sneezing, or by contact with hands, surfaces or objects contaminated with the virus. As a result, the same public health measures, such as hand hygiene (hand washing), good respiratory etiquette (coughing into your elbow or into a tissue and immediately disposing of the tissue) and good household cleaning are important actions to prevent both infections.

  The speed of transmission is an important difference between the two viruses. Influenza typically has a shorter incubation period (the time from infection to appearance of symptoms) than COVID-19. This means that influenza can spread faster than COVID-19.

  While the range of symptoms for the two viruses is similar, the fraction with severe disease appears to be higher for COVID-19. While most people have mild symptoms, approximately 15% of people have severe infections and 5% require intensive care in a hospital ICU. The proportions of severe and critical COVID-19 infections are higher than for influenza infections.

• Should I avoid attending public events, for example, religious celebrations, music festivals or sporting matches?
  
  

  On 15 March 2020, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard made an Order under Section 7 of the Public Health Act 2010 to force the immediate cancellation of major events with more than 500 people. This includes events such as concerts, sporting fixtures with large crowds, exhibitions and religious celebrations.

  Individuals who fail to comply could face up to six months in prison or a fine of up to $11,000 or both, plus additional penalties for each day the offence continues. Corporations face even harsher fines.

  Critical workforce, such as healthcare professionals and emergency services workers, are also recommended to limit their attendance at non-essential meetings or conferences.

  The advice on mass gatherings does not apply to attendance at schools, universities or child care centres. While all Australians are encouraged to exercise personal responsibility for social distancing, there are no current restrictions recommended on attending other settings, such as shopping centres, or using public transport.

  For non-essential organised gatherings with fewer than 500 attendees, NSW Health recommends that organisers:

  • remind attendees and staff not to attend if they are feeling unwell
  • remind attendees and staff they must not attend if they have travelled overseas in the past 14 days
  • ensure emergency management plans are up to date
  • brief staff on how to practice good hygiene and making it easy for staff and attendees to practice good hygiene
  • have adequate hand washing facilities available

  NSW Health also encourages people considering attending these gatherings to:

  • stay home and not attend if you are feeling unwell
  • stay home and not attend if you have travelled overseas in the past 14 days
  • practice good personal hygiene including:
    • cleaning your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based hand rub
    • covering your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing with tissue or a flexed elbow.
• How long does the COVID-19 infection last?
  
  The infection period for the virus will vary from person to person. Mild symptoms in an otherwise healthy individual may resolve over just a few days. Similar to influenza, for an individual with other ongoing health issues, such as a respiratory condition, recovery may take weeks and in severe cases could be potentially fatal.
  
  
• What if I don’t have Medicare?
  
  

  Most people that are not eligible for Medicare will have health or travel insurance. For those that do not have adequate insurance coverage, NSW Health will waive these costs. This includes the waiving of payment and debt recovery procedures for ambulance transfers of people suspected to have COVID-19 infection, who are taken to NSW Health facilities for assessment.

  These arrangements have been put in place to ensure payment issues are not a barrier for people from overseas with respiratory symptoms seeking early medical advice.

• How is COVID-19 diagnosed?
  
  Infection with COVID-19 is diagnosed by finding evidence of the virus in respiratory samples such as swabs from the back of the nose and throat or fluid from the lungs. Samples for testing can be taken directly by GPs or at a range of private pathology sites across the state that are suitable for collection of COVID-19, or at public hospitals across NSW.

Instructions from Epidemiology Unit

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