President Gotabaya Rajapaksa scheduled to address the nation

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is scheduled to address the nation, President’s spokesman Kingsley Rathnayake said. The date and the time of his address will be announced later, President’s Spokesman said in a tweet today. 

The decision came in the wake of recent requests from the health authorities, religious leaders, and traders associations to impose a lock -down in order to curb the rapid spread of the virus across the country. 

Ten political parties affiliated with the government yesterday proposed to lock down the country for three weeks.

They too have written to the President requesting a lockdown, “as vaccinating age groups below 18 years would take at least another six weeks and the expected result a further month, and the situation could be much worse then.”

The parties have also made 7 proposals, some of which are, calling the government to take actions against persons who manipulate COVID statistics, to expedite the vaccination programme through the private sector and to use traditional and western medicine practices to eradicate the disease.

Meanwhile, Chief Prelates of Malwathu and Asgiri Chapters too requested President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to lock down the country for a week to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Chief Prelate of Malwathu Chapter Thibbatuwawe Sri Sumangala Thera and Chief Prelate of Asgiri Chapter, Warakagoda Gnaratna Thera have written to the President calling for a week-long lockdown.

In the letter sent to the President they have praised the government action taken during the initial period when COVID-19 was detected and also the government’s efforts to carry out the vaccination programme.