Presidential directive issued on managing COVID-19

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed the Secretary to the President, Dr. P.B. Jayasundara to make preparations for all possible eventualities of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka. Dr. Jayasundara in a letter sent yesterday to all District Secretaries and Divisional Secretaries says, ‘Our desire is to make maximum possible effort to make Sri Lanka ‘Corona free’ and get business as usual’, according to the Presidential Secretariat. 

The Ministry of Health, with the support of the all relevant stakeholders, is taking all possible steps to prevent the introduction of this infection into the country. These activities include, surveillance of passengers arriving from high risk countries by the field health staff and establishment and operating of several quarantine centers at various parts of the island.

This is a nationally important situation where all the Government agencies and the public need to act together to bring about a positive outcome, the Secretary to the President further said.  ‘In this regard the mindset of the people should be made to act and support the control measures in a positive manner to maximize the smooth operation of the control measures’, the Secretary to the President, points out.

He also says that as the situation in many countries is going out of control, Sri Lanka need to be prepared for all possible eventualities in this regard. In such a   situation, drastic measures stipulated under the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance may have to be taken by the Director General of Health Services as the authority under the Ordinance, the Secretary to the President adds.