China worried over refusal to entertain Chinese nationals at restaurants, taxis

Chinese ambassador CHENG Xueyuan, in a statement, said yesterday it was worrisome that some taxis, hotels and restaurants were refusing to entertain Chinese citizens, and asserted that true friendship could and must stand the test of difficulties.

He said that his office understands the concerns of Sri Lanka public, but hope at the same time that they could feel China’s responsible attitude and see the ‘forceful and effective measures’ taken by China.

“The epidemic shall be defeated in the end, and at that day when we look back, we hope what we could remember is the strong look in the supportive faces and the warmth in the encouraging hands, just as what Chinese people have done when Sri Lanka went through difficulties,” he said in his statement issued to the media.

He said there still are new cases every day of the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) while the great efforts had been made by the Chinese authorities in fighting against the epidemic. He said such efforts had won appreciation, recognition as well as kindness and support from the rest of the world.

“In recent days, the embassy staff has received a lot of encouragement from our Sri Lanka friends, which at this very moment makes us feel so warm-hearted and touched,” he said.

Commenting on the current status of the epidemic, he said, “It is known that everything goes through the process of birth, and development before dying out, and it is the same way with the epidemic. New cases of the Coronavirus are still increasing now, but it is estimated that the total amount of infected cases will reach the peak point, then drop and gradually decrease to zero. According to the epidemiological survey, the Novel Coronavirus is highly contagious but both severe cases and mortality are relatively fewer than SARS, which proves that the Coronavirus can be prevented, contained and infected cases can be medically cured.

Describing measures taken to protect Sri Lanka from the epidemic, he said, “As a major responsible country, China has been working very hard to fight against the Coronavirus while preventing the spread of it. As for Sri Lanka, the following measures taken by the Chinese might be helpful: The Chinese government prohibits the traveling of suspicious cases and halts all outbound group travels; The Chinese Embassy to Sri Lanka has advised people from Hubei province to suspend and delay their travels to Sri Lanka, while people from other provinces should quarantine themselves for at least 14 days after arriving in.

The embassy has been contacting Chinese tourists in Sri Lanka, providing sanitary advice and protective kits and requesting them to quarantine themselves and take medical treatment once suspicious symptoms show up. The embassy has also asked Chinese employees based in Sri Lanka to take precautions, and to quarantine themselves and take medical treatments once suspicious symptoms appear.

To defeat fear is equally important as to defeat the epidemic! Please trust China and do not fear in face of the Coronavirus. China has the capacity to contain and prevent the spread of it. We will definitely defeat the virus as we two countries are fighting against it shoulder by shoulder with forceful prevention measures.

Meanwhile, we would like to confirm that at the firm request of the Sri Lanka government, Chinese authorities have assisted the government to withdraw Sri Lanka citizens who have been studying and working in China while we would like to kindly remind that Sri Lanka authorities should take all necessary precautions for any unlooked-for situation. At the same time, we hope that the Sri Lankan public could follow the guidance of the government and safeguard the social order soundly,” he said.