Visitors to Kataragama fail to follow health guidelines

The residents and pilgrims in Kataragma are highly inconvenienced as most of the foreign tourists visiting Kataragma are not adhering to the preventive measures recommended by the health authorities, according to the residents and the pilgrims.

Most of them do not wear face masks and enter shops and hotels.

Locals who consume meals in hotels try to keep away from the foreigners or leave the hotels. It leaves a bad impression on them about our people and it affects the tourism promotion of our county.

The residents said that although Kataragama MOH office render a genuine effort to prevent the disease in collaboration with the police, army and with relevant authorities by launching programmes of awareness posters and using public addressing system, none of the posters or announcements regarding COVID-19 have been done in English so that foreign tourists could be made aware. So that they are in the attitude of the governments of their countries, towards Covid 19.

 MOH Dr. I.S.Devanarayana told that it was a grave mistake and she would take immediate steps to rectify the situation.

(By M.N.Piyaratna)