BOI Chief tells factory employees not to abuse travel passes

The government has issued passes to all factories functioning in the 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.

Board of Investment (BOI) Chairman Sanjaya Mohottala said this pass is issued only to travel to and from 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 provided 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 centre was established in the buildings of 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 centre which is functioning under close medical supervision of the Negombo Hospital . The BOI chief stressed that ensuring health security of employees remains his top priority while continuing 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 home. “There is a large number of people involved in direct and indirect employments associated with the factories and these factors should be taken into consideration seriously,” he said.

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