Rotary launches learning to live with Covid-19 campaign
View(s):Sri Lanka crossing a fifteen thousand cases on Covid-19 patients and almost fifty succumbing to the virus, it is very clear that Sri Lanka is moving to a community level spread post the Brandix cluster issue said the Rotary Stop the Spread Project Director – Sri Lanka & Maldives Dr Rohantha Athukorala at the Rotaract Club Colombo East Installation where the new campaign ‘ Learning to live with Covid-19 campaign.
Dr Athukorala at the launch of the STOP THE SPREAD campaign worth over 1 billion rupees
We from Rotary are targeting 1000 companies to be certified with the SLSI Covid-19 Control Certification process whilst we have reached almost 1.5 million households in Sri Lanka in the last five months under the ‘ Stop the Spread campaign said Dr Athukorala.
The logic of the campaign was that as per the advise of WHO, lockdowns do not help a country other than pulling a county to poverty. Hence the only logical behavior is that we must learn to live with Covid and allow the economy to run he said.
The new Rotary theme is branded ‘ Learning to live with Covid’ under the Rotary project Stop the Spread has already reached 1.5 million households with almost 25% of the households in Sri Lanka bern reached via 5800 Interactors, 7000 Rotaractors and 2000 Rotarians. Separately there are almost three hundred companies who have been certified as ‘ Covid Control Environments’ by the Sri Lanka Standards Institute( SLSI).
It’s very important for us to change our behaviour said the Governor for Rotary Sri Lanka & Maldives Ajith Weerasinghe. We must acknowledge all the national athletes, School athletes and the National Olympic Committee( NOC) for partnering Rotary on this project on the ‘ New Normal Behaviour’ required. The campaign can be valued at over rupees one billion that includes five Sri Lanka Cricket Captains Rugby Captains, South Asian medallions and Commonwealth game’s winners said Dr Athukorala who also head Marketing for the National Olympic Committee( NOC).
Apart from the communication campaign the 5800 Interactors have visited the almost 750 retail outlets and eateries in the close vicinity of the schools, donated hand washing stations and also explained the WHO/ MOH protocols so that we can keep the school children safe from the Covid-19 virus said Athukorala.