COVID-19: Oman’s Sri Lankan community raises bar in curbing spread

Muscat: During the initial days of the pandemic there were two COVID-19 deaths among the 32,000 strong Sri Lankan community in Oman.

“But not anymore,” says Roy Lasantha President of the Sri Lankan Social Club in the country which sprang into action to assist members and tackle the spread. The 200 odd positive cases that surfaced were isolated, treated as per the guidelines from the Ministry of Health and have all tested negative. Now, there are no cases while strict monitoring of the situation continues.

“We have a medical task force comprising of about 40 Sri Lankan doctors who can be contacted anytime for queries on symptoms of COVID-19, precautions and medications,” continues Lasantha. “Another group took upon themselves the task of educating the community through virtual discussions and seminars. They ensured the participation of young adults by formatting contests for their age group.”

Stressed and depressed

For those who were stressed and depressed, special activities were organised, including online cookery contests. If any of the community members showed symptoms of the virus, a free ambulance service was provided to take them to a nearby hospital. “We encouraged every Sri Lankan to register themselves remotely to our services that ensured they were within our radar and could be reached when alerted,” added Lasantha.

Free medication and medical services were provided to the community members by the team of doctors who worked in shifts so that they would always be available at all times while close to 1,400 packets of dry ration were distributed to those who did not have the means to buy food.

“The whole community has followed the guidelines to stop the spread and the collective responsibility has helped us contribute towards Omani government’s efforts as well,” he concluded.