‘The country must be opened up, giving priority to health care systems’

Nimal Lansa – State Minister for Rural Roads and Other Infrastructure

Nimal Lansa, State Minister for Rural Roads and Other Infrastructure, said that the hope of 22 million people is to open up the country under health care systems and to enable them to carry out their activities as usual and strengthen the economy.

State Minister, Nimal Lansa expressed these views while inaugurating road development projects in the Panadura electorate.

Minister further stated,

We never stopped road development when there was corona effect. We have to live with the corona subject to health advice. Accordingly, I and my Cabinet minister decided not to stop work. Four years later, the people will ask whether his excellency the President had fulfilled his promise of 100,000 km.

‘Our goal is to make the country corona-free by 2021. I urge the people of the country to support this by following health advice. Some opposition MPs want to keep the country closed. The 22 million people of the country hope to open up the country and return to normalcy.

‘More than 2 million people who are engaged in the tourism industry have been at home for 9 months unable to carry on the tourism business. People who work every day should be given the opportunity to do their work.

‘My personal opinion is that we need to live safely with covid. We have to go about our daily business. Or the country will fall and we will fall. We must be determined to win the country’s development in 2021 and the country’s economy in the face of covid 19.

‘We hope to open the airport after January 17th. Provide opportunities for those who wish to come to Sri Lanka from abroad. All of this is done by following health guidelines. PCR is done 72 hours before tourists arrive in Sri Lanka. After the tourist comes to Sri Lanka he does a PCR. When the tourist goes out after about 7 days, he does a PCR again. He does three PCRs.

‘2021 is an important year for all of us. As the world faces the Covid epidemic and the world economy goes downhill, we must be determined to open a few schools, open the country to business and make it the country with the best economy while carrying out day to day activities as usual. We must all unite for that.

‘The Rs. 129 million worth road development work in the Panadura electorate commenced today under the national program to develop 100,000 km and the distance to be developed under it is 9 km.’

State Minister of Women and Child Development, Preschools & Primary Education, School Infrastructure & Education Services, Piyal Nishantha , State Minister of Warehouse Facilities, Container Yards, Port Supply Facilities and Boats and Shipping Industry Development Jayantha Samaraweera, former members of the Western Provincial Council, Neil Sunethralal and Vikum Gunasekara, chairman of the Panadura Pradeshiya Sabha Hemantha Fernando, , Chief Engineer of the Road Development Authority Ms. Gayani Mullewithana and a group of officials of the Road Development Authority were present on the occasion.