Minister Amaraweera urges people to work through pandemic to minimise impact on economy

By Ifham Nizam

Sri Lankans should come forward to minimise the impact of COVID-19 on the economy, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said yesterday speaking at the launch of the Thousand Herbal Forest programme at the Bodhimalu Temple, Medamulana.

Amaraweera also said that COVID-19 clusters would grow further if people did not follow the health guidelines.

“My fear is COVID-19 clusters will form around some liquor bars.”

The world economy was in deep crisis due to COVID-19 and Sri Lanka had already felt its impact, the minister said, adding that mainstays of foreign revenue like fish exports, garment industry and other export industries had been severely affected.

“To minimize the impact of COVID-19 on the economy of our country, we have to continue working in the midst of the epidemic. None can say how long this epidemic will last. We will have to live with COVID-19 whether we like it or not. We cannot stop development work because of COVID-19. But if we follow the instructions given by the health sector perfectly, we can revive our economy and save lives.”