First contacts of COVID19 patients wil not be sent to quarantine centres from today onwards, Army Commander Shavendra Silva said.

He said they would be quarantined in their houses under strict heath ans safety guidelines.

The Army Commander added that the decision was made after assessing the quarantine process that was adopted after the first outbreak of COVID19 in the country.

"We firmly believe that individuals who are under quarantine will strictly follow te guidelines and act in a manner that does not pose ahealth threat to others," he added.