Director General of Health Services, Dr. S. Sridharan says information provided to the media regarding the current status updates of the Covid-19 outbreak directly affects its control and prevention mechanism.

When communicating to the media, information should be accurate and that it should not affect the public, he said in a letter directed to the Provincial Directors of Health Services, Regional Directors of Health Services sand Directors/Medical Superintendents of Hospitals.

Dr. Sridharan also noted that information should be channeled to mass media only through the authorized officers.

The health authorities were thereby urged to adhere to several guidelines:

When visiting the houses of contacts and patients, the health workers are instructed not to release any information to mass media or social media in the form of video clips, photos or voice cuts which could affect their privacy.

During visits to contacts and patients, health workers should not allow the presence of media personnel, Dr. Sridharan stressed.

Health workers should not make any comments which may result in social hatred towards the contacts, patients, quarantined persons or specific social groups or make them uncomfortable, the letter further noted.

According to Section 6 of Chapter XLVII, Volume II of the Establishments Code, the government servants are prohibited from releasing official information or express their opinion to the media or public without written approval from the Secretary to the Ministry.

Chief Epidemiologist Dr Sudath Samaraweera has been appointed as the official spokesperson to provide information related to Covid-19, the Director General of Health Services said further.