Several former Parliamentarians, all members of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya are seeking detailed answers regarding Sri Lanka’s fight against COVID-19 from Director of Health Services, Dr. Anil Jasinghe.
The ex-parliamentarians are seeking answers for actions taken by the Health Service to fight the spread of the Corona virus in the country, through a Right to Information Application addressed to Dr. Jasinghe on May 6, 2020.
The sixteen questions sent to Dr. Jasinghe are:
- The number of Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests carried out to identify those infected by the Corona virus.
- The number of those identified as infected.
- Where and when these tests were carried out.
- The number of PCR tests conducted at quarantine centres and the number of positive cases identified at those centres.
- The number of tests carried out at the President’s House and the dates on which those tests were done. They have requested that the dates and numbers are listed separately.
- The number of tests carried out at Temple Trees and dates when the tests were done. Dates and numbers to be provided separately.
- Number of tests carried out at other VIP households and the dates on which they were done.
- Dates and places where random PCR testing has been carried out.
- The number of PCR kits that have been received. The dates on which the kits were received.
- How were the PCR kits used?
- How many of those kits are still available?
- Where were the kits received from? On which dates and where were they distributed to?
- The number of Anti-body testing that has been carried out.
- The number of deaths that have occurred due to the Corona virus.
- The number of bodies that have been cremated under the quarantine Act, but had not tested positive for the virus.
- If any deaths have taken place at quarantine centres, the name of the centre and the number of such deaths.
The Right to Information Act was enacted as a Law in Sri Lanka on August 4, 2016.
Accordingly, the Act requires that the applicant must receive a response on whether or not the requested information will be provided as “expeditiously as possible and in any case within the 14 days.”
