COLOMBO : Ten Political Parties affiliated with the government have made a call to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa requesting him consider a lockdown of the country for a minimum period of three weeks.
Earlier, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, doctors groups,businessmen’s circle, public health inspectors had made repeated calls to close to enforce a shutdown to prevent the increasing number of Covid cases in the country,where some 45,100 Covid patients are taking treatment for the virus in various parts of the island.
In a series of proposals presented to the president, the leaders of the political parties, in a letter addressed to the President,pointed out that they believe it would be impossible to bring down the number of COVID patients to a level that hospitals can accommodate, without imposing a three-week lockdown.
They believe the trend of rising COVID-19 figures can be stopped by imposing a three-week islandwide lockdown.
The leaders of the 10 political parties have also noted that the country is facing a dysfunctional state as there are many who are in quarantine and a large number who fear COVID-19, while the country remains open.
The letter notes that when the spread is controlled, these segments in society will have faith to re-join the country’s economic cycle.
The leaders of the 10 political parties propose to the President to consider the present situation as a national disaster and call for the implementation of an all-party mechanism to face it.
They propose to form a committee comprising of health and economic experts to advise the aforementioned mechanism.
The letter was signed by;
Venerable Athuraliya Rathana Thero – Ape Jana Bala Party
Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara – Democratic Left Front
Professor Tissa Vitharana – Lanka Sama Samaja Party
Minister Wimal Weewaransa – National Freedom Front
Minister Udaya Gammanpila – Pivithuru Hela Urumaya
A. L. M. Athaulla – National Congress
Tiran Alles – Mahajana Eksath Peramuna
Dr. G. Weerasinghe – Sri Lanka Communist Party
Asaka Nawaratne – Sri Lanka Mahajana Party
Gevindu Kumaratunga – Yuthukama National Organization
