The government has issued passes to all the factories functioning in BOI Export Processing Zones and outside  to facilitate the transport of employees between the places of residence and the workplace.

Accordingly, the employees can use their private vehicles or the transport provided by the relevant companies to come to work.

BOI Chairman Sanjaya Mohottala said this pass is issued only to travel to and from between the place of residence and the workplace, and he called on all employees  to extend their support to mitigate the pandemic without misusing this facility provide by the government.

He made this request during a visit to the newly established COVID intermediate treatment center at Katunayake Export Processing Zone.

This intermediate treatment center was established in the buildings of the Crystal Martin Company which is closed down for production.

The company has donated 100 beds for this project. The Free Trade Manufacturing Association and the Youth Council have also provided beds for this center which is functioning under the close medical  supervision of Negombo Hospital .

The BOI chief stressed that ensuring the health security of employees remains his top priority while continuing the  production and export process uninterrupted.

“Each and every employee has a responsibility not   to bring the virus from the home or the village to the factories or from the factories to the home.

“There is a large number of people involved in direct and indirect employments associated with the factories and  these factories should seriously be taken into consideration,” he said.

The Katunayake, Biyagama, Seethawaka  zones are said t be functioning well and they are helping to keep the export revenue at a satisfactory level.