(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) – President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has decided not to relax travel restrictions until June 07 to control the current Covid-19 epidemic situation in the country, President’s Media Division said.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Special COVID Suppression Committee chaired by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (28).
It was earlier decided to keep three selected days open in the middle so as not to inconvenience the people due to the travel restrictions. Hoverer, with the relaxing of the traffic restrictions at 4am on May 25th, the way people behaved would allow the epidemic to spread, the President has noted.
The President pointed out that the government’s efforts to prevent the spread of the epidemic could fail if travel restrictions are relaxed as planned earlier.
Accordingly, the President instructed to suspend the decision taken to relax the travel restrictions on May 31 and June 04 and to distribute the required items to the public through mobile sales vehicles in the coming days.
Permission is given to leave home only for essential services on days when travel restrictions are imposed. It is mandatory to keep the letter of call from the place of work and the service identity card while traveling on the roads.
The President said that the people should also responsibly support the government’s efforts to prevent the spread of the Covid epidemic.
Administration of Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine began on May 08. The President instructed the health sector to take steps to give the second dose to the people at the same place where they received the first dose on the one month anniversary from June 08. The President also emphasized the need for systematic and continuous vaccination in other districts identified by the health sector.
The President also emphasized the need for systematic and continuous vaccination in other districts identified by the health sector.
Ministers Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Gamini Lokuge, Bandula Gunawardena, Keheliya Rambukwella, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Johnston Fernando, Prasanna Ranatunga, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Namal Rajapaksa, State Ministers Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Prof. Channa Jayasumana, Member of Parliament Madura Vithanage, Chief Adviser to the President Lalith Weeratunga, tri forces commanders, and heads of health sector institutions were present at the discussion.
