• Factories, pharmacies, shipping lines to be kept open

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has taken a number of decisions to avoid impact on the people and the economy when imposing travel restrictions from 11.00 pm yesterday (21) as a step to contain the spread of COVID-19.    

During a discussion with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 at the Presidential Secretariat last morning, the President briefed the Ministers and relevant officials on the steps to be taken in this regard. Steps should be taken to keep factories, pharmacies, shipping lines open and continue the production in bakeries as well as the distribution of food items during the travel restricted period. The President also instructed the relevant authorities to distribute essential food items to the public without any shortage using mobile services at the divisional level. It was also instructed to provide the confiscated essential consumer goods that had been illegally imported into the country, to Sathosa and to assign the recruits from the 100,000 job opportunity programme to pack essential goods in Sathosa warehouses islandwide. It was decided to issue the necessary permits by the Divisional Secretaries for the distribution of essential goods and to deploy the Army along with the police for the convenience of the roadblock operations.