Even amidst strict travel restrictions, factory workers involved in the production and export industry are allowed to travel from their places of residence to the factory and vice versa.
The government has issued passes to all the factories functioning in BOI export zones and outside to facilitate the transport of employees between the places of residence and the workplace. The employees can use their private vehicles or the transport provided by the relevant companies to come to work.
The BOI chairman said this pass is issued only to travel to and from between the place of residence and the workplace. Mohottala called on all employees to extend their support to mitigate the pandemic without misusing this facility provided by the government. He made this request during a visit to the newly established COVID intermediate treatment center at the Katunayake Export Promotion Zone.
This intermediate treatment center was established in the buildings of the Crystal Martin Company which is closed down for production. The company has donated 100 beds for this project. The Free Trade Manufacturing Association and Sri Lanka and the Youth Council have also provided beds for this center which is functioning under the close medical supervision of Negombo Hospital . The virus seems to be more contagious in the third wave than it was in the first and second wave, the BOI chief said stressing that ensuring the health security of employees remains his top priority while continuing the production and export process uninterrupted.
Each and every employee has a responsibility not to bring the virus from the home or the village to the factories or from the factories to the home”, he said there is a large number of people involved in direct and indirect employment associated with the factories and these factors should seriously be taken into consideration.
The Katunayake, Biyagama, Seethawaka zones are functioning well and they help to keep the export revenue at a satisfactory level . The spread of Covid 19 in these zones has been brought under control, Mohottala added.
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