Sri Lanka Government is blaming a drug addict, now termed as “Patient 206,” for causing the ultimate spread of the coronavirus in the country. The “Patient 206”, who’s known by his usual name, Prasad Dinesh, is said to be the man who has infected half of the COVID-19 populous in Sri Lanka.
According to the government of Sri Lanka, Prasad Dinesh is the cause of about three clusters of cases in the country, including about 900 navy sailors.
As of Saturday, Sri Lanka has recorded 2687 cases of the deadly virus. Half of these numbers is said to be the sole responsibility of Dinesh.
How Patient 206 Infected Sri Lanka
The 900 Navy sailors that Dinesh allegedly infected were among the military-led task force appointed by the government to deal with the pandemic in Sri Lanka’s Ja-Ela town.
It is a small town north of the country’s capital, Colombo. It was reported that during the military operations, the navy group had close contact with infected people. They had a hard time containing them to quarantine. These infected people were all close contacts of Dinesh, who had already tested positive during the time of military operations.
Sri Lankan auto rickshaw driver Prasad Dinesh, linked by Sri Lankan officials to nearly half the country's more than 2,600 coronavirus cases, sits in his house in Ja-Ela, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, July 1, 2020.#lka pic.twitter.com/LoFGDjhL2L
— Saiyaf Lafir Madani (@saiyafs) July 15, 2020
According to Authorities, Dinesh was caught by village residents for a robbery and handed over to police on April 5. During that time, he was already having a fever and also a broken leg, which he had acquired during the robbery. He did not contest the charges that he and some friends broke into a house in a nearby village to take coconuts.
The police brought him to a nearby hospital where he was admitted. He tested positive for the coronavirus during a medical exam and was admitted for 31 days. All people who had close contact with Dinesh were ordered to stay home. These people include the police officers, his friends who were with him during the robbery incident, and some 100 people from his community who had contact with him. However, not all of the people obliged to the quarantine order. This is the reason why the group of Navy personnel was required to intervene.
To address the stubbornness of the infected community, the Sri Lanka government deployed a military task force. The operation also included the deployment of sailors who were supposed to assist health workers.
According to Sri Lankan local media reports, when the sailors approached, some of Dinesh’s associates panicked. Adm. Jayanath Colombage, a former navy commander, said some people climbed trees, some tried to jump over the fence, some jumped into the canal, and some others pretended that they were having a bath.
Twenty-eight people were seized during the operations, and they were forced to quarantine. Of this 28, 16 people tested positive. After a few weeks, some sailors and other community members involved during the operation also tested positive.
Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said Dinesh had undermined the country’s fight against COVID-19 and that he “had done huge damage to Sri Lanka”.
Navy spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Isuru Suriyabandara said the deployed team members are well-trained troops. According to him, all of them were wearing protective gear and have also undergone a 21 day quarantine days after the operation.
Dinesh worked as an auto-rickshaw driver before the pandemic. Now he is jobless and is having a hard time looking for a job. According to him, employers shove him off whenever they learn that he is Patient 206.
Read more COVID-19 updates here: Optimizely lays off 15% of its staff amid COVID-19
View COVID-19 statistical map here: John Hopkins University Statistics
