gossip lanka

PHIs withdraw from Atulugama after spitting incident

Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) in the Atulugama area had withdrawn from duties in protest after a Covid-19 positive resident spat at them, a spokesman for the PHI union said.

The patient had refused to be admitted to hospital and had spat on the face of the Public Health Inspector handling his case.

The relevant PHI had been sent into quarantine and police spokesman - DIG Ajith Rohana has said that the suspect would face legal action for obstructing the duties of PHIs.

He is to be produced in court after recovering, the DIG added.

Meanwhile, PHI Union Secretary Mahendra Balsooriya says that some residents in Atalugama were not following health guidelines and self-quarantine regulations, which has led to a rapid spread of the virus in the area.

“We have conducted more than 400 antigen tests and over 300 of those tests came back positive,” he had said.

“If the residents are not willing to cooperate, the number of cases can go up as well as the number of deaths.” Balasooriya had warned.