Health TUs to force Govt. to impose lockdown: GNOA 

• Interprovincial travel restrictions not useful either

By Ajith Siriwardana   

Claiming that the curfew imposed in the night was not effective in restricting people’s movements, Government Nursing Officers’ Association (GNOA) President Saman Rathnapriya yesterday said Trade Unions of the Health sector would take to the street forcing the Government to impose islandwide lockdown. 

He told a news conference that health sector trade unions have already discussed a step to be taken to force the Government to impose a scientific lockdown after these two days.   

“The curfew imposed by the Government between 10 pm and 4 am is not effective. No one is moving at all during that time. This curfew is only for the bats that are active at night,” he said.  
Rathnapriya said inter-provincial travel restrictions were not useful either, as the Covid pandemic is spreading in all provinces now.   

“Covid-19 has spread in all provinces now. There is no use of restricting movement between provinces now,” he said.  

He said the only way to prevent the spread of the disease is to impose a scientific lockdown for a week and round up all the positive cases just as other countries like Australia were doing.  

“Political lockdown like we imposed earlier for months will not be effective. We need to impose a scientific lockdown for a week and round up all the positive cases in the community. We can find 70 percent of the positive cases. Then the country should be open for three days and again locked down for another week. Then, we can round up all the positive cases in the community and treat them as needed. This would isolate all positive cases and thereby prevent the spread of the virus,” he said.  

Responding to a question, he said former health minister Pavithra Vanniarachchi could not deliver her best as she was taken hostage by certain Trade Unions.

  
“She did not get the support of all the trade unions of the health sector. She was a captive of certain Trade Unions,” he said. 

• Rathnapriya said inter-provincial travel restrictions were not useful  either, as the Covid pandemic is spreading in all provinces now