The President made this observation at the Presidential Secretariat today (24)when he met with the Special Committee appointed by him to look into the possibility of providing legal relief to those imprisoned for minor offences.

The President took the decision to grant relief to these prisoners based on a request they made from him when the state leader visited the prison premises recently.

The special committee appointed by the president is expected to meet again on March 26^th to receive recommendations regarding legal relief measures for prisoners who are unable to pay their fines or bail.
The Legal Committee consists of officials of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) and the Department of Prisons.

The special committee includes the Prison Commissioner Jayasiri Tennakoon, President Legal Director General Hariguptha Rohanadheera, Deputy Prison Commissioner Venura Gunawardena, President of the BAR Association President’s Counsel Kalinga Indratissa, Secretary Kaushalya Nawaratne, President’s Counsel Shavendra Silva, Attorney Susara Dinal and several others.

 If we are to triumph over this corona epidemic proper habits should be followed to prevent its spread. When travelling in public places such as offices, shops and public transport, it has been found that the most effective preventative measure is to maintain distance and also to follow the proper health practices stipulated by medical experts.

In order to prevent the spread of the virus, the government has implemented several stringent measures over the past several days. The curfew that was enforced on Friday evening at 6.00 was scheduled to be lifted on Monday at 6.00 am. But, in some areas such as Colombo, Gampaha and Puttalam Districts and Mannar, Vavuniya, Mulaithicu, Killinochchi and Jaffna in the Northern Province the curfew now in force will be lifted only on Tuesday (24) at 6.00 am. The curfew in the rest of the country will be lifted at 6.00 am tomorrow and re-imposed at 2.00 pm the same day.

When the curfew is lifted people are expected to come out in numbers to gather their essentials. However, the government advices all citizens to follow the advice issued by the government and the health authorities in order to avoid getting infected.

While shopping for their essential items, people are adviced to keep their distance from each other and cover their faces when sneezing or coughing and also avoid close contact when travelling in public transport or trishaws. In obtaining fuel the public is adviced to follow the same rules. Only one member should venture out to purchase goods in order to minimise the number of people gathering to purchase goods. This also helps to maintain distance.

The government assured that there are ample stocks of essential commodities and measures have been taken to distribute them around the country. Therefore, the government says that there is no need to stock supplies unnecessarily. The Corona Task Force advices the public to only purchase what is absolutely essential for use during the curfew which also helps in spending lesser time at shops. People are adviced to stay home and engage in activities confined to their own homes.

The Coronavirus knows no boundaries, religion race, cast or creed and infects anyone in its path be it the rich or poor. Currently, 180 countries have been affected by the coronavirus, but countries that have identified the threat early and took precautions are handling the situation well. China, where the Coronavirus originated is a good example. However, due to poor planning and preparation, a wealthy nation like Italy was unable to control its spread.
 Meanwhile, President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa took several measures on the advice of the WHO to safeguard the country from the Coronavirus. On January 26^th the Corona Task Force was established making Sri Lanka the first country to do so.
The President is coordinating with the members of the Task Force and the related institution heads on a daily basis and taking necessary decisions based on their discussions.

Currently there are 17 quarantine centres established complete with all facilities. Further, the arrivals terminal has been closed and all passengers coming into the country has been stopped. Yet despite these measures, the government ensured that all essential services continue to function without any hindrance.

However, there are some anti-social elements who are engaged in spreading false news and rumours for petty political gain. Some of them have already been identified and the government stated that strict  action would be taken against them.  

During the videoconference among leaders of the SAARC region on March 15th, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi proposed the emergency fund with an initial offer of $10 million from India

Special Fund to combat COVID – 19 established by President

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had set up a special fund to strengthen the mitigation activities aimed at controlling the spread of COVID-19 virus in the country and related social welfare programs.
The Fund is named “COVID – 19 Healthcare and Social Security Fund”. President Rajapaksa has instructed to donate Rs. 100 million from the President’s Fund for this purpose.
A special account had been opened at the Corporate Branch of the Bank of Ceylon under the account number of 85737373.
Local as well as foreign donors can make their financial contributions to the COVID – 19 Healthcare and Social Security Fund. Donations will be exempted from tax and foreign exchange regulations. Deposits could be made through cheques or telegraphic transfers.
The management of the Healthcare and Social Security Fund will be entrusted with a highly qualified panel of professionals in the fields of administration, finance and banking sectors. The panel will comprise IGP, secretaries to the Ministries, Director General of Health, audit and banking experts.
President requests everyone to work in unison and brotherhood in the wake of the present challenge before the nation. Secretary to the President Dr. P. B. Jayasundara hopes that this would be an opportunity for the local and foreign companies to make their contributions towards a humanitarian mission. It is expected that foreign States, international financial organizations and leading conglomerates in Sri Lanka, as well as abroad, will take a leading role.
Dr. Jayasundara reminds that the people of this country rose again in the same manner in the aftermath of 2004 tsunami and at the end of the humanitarian operations in 2009.

 The Prime Minister, explaining the measures taken to arrest the spread of the Coronavirus made a special statement yesterday (20).

 “At a time when the whole world is facing the threat of the Coronavirus, we as a government have taken all possible measures to ensure the safety of our people. As you know, from the start of this epidemic we were fully focussed on it and before many countries, Sri Lanka took measures to bring back our students stranded in Wuhan, China.

We have never at any moment disregarded the lives of all our citizens be it those in the country of Sri Lankans in other countries.

We have taken all steps to bring back those who went on pilgrimage to India as it is our responsibility to ensure their safe return.

Therefore, as soon as we heard about a patient or someone who had associated with a Coronavirus infected patient, we sprang into action. It was because of this readiness and focus that we have been able to hold thousands at quarantine centers and feed them, provide medication and other facilities.

As a country, it is undeniable that this is an arduous task. However, no matter how hard the task is, we as a government will always ensure that the people are cared for. Taking into consideration the safety of our children, we took measures to close the schools and universities. We have systematically stopped all incoming flights to the country and closed the arrival terminal. We have taken these measures taking into consideration the world situation and in the best interest of the country.

This is how we intend to take action in the future too.

At this time as I address the nation, the whole country is under curfew. Even during the height of terrorism, the whole country was not under curfew.

However, due to the irresponsible actions of a few, we had no other choice and had to take this drastic decision.

These measures have all been taken for the safety of you all and that of your children. Hence, the government regrets any inconvenience that the people may have to endure.

Rest assured that the government is well geared to provide all essential requirements including food and fuel, for the next several months. There is no need to worry.

Moreover, as a government we have no intention of hiding the facts from the people and we will be honest in announcing the number of persons affected and the situation regarding
this virus. We will notify the people constantly regarding the latest situation for the safety of everyone.

At a time when the whole world is facing a hard time, I urge all Sri Lankans to act with responsibility and foresight. If we all follow the advice of the medical experts and act
diligently, I am certain that we could overcome this epidemic in no time.

As a nation let’s stand together in facing this threat. We are a nation that overcame much greater adversities and I am confident that if we all stand together, we could overcome this
challenge too.

May the Triple Gem shine upon you all!”

He said this addressing the weekly Cabinet briefing held at the Government Information Department yesterday (20). Therefore, the minister noted that passes for the smooth functioning of essential services could be obtained by the police, urging the people to stay indoors and assist the government in bringing this situation under control through self-quarantine.

All wholesale shops were open until around 2.00 pm yesterday in Pettah and the security forces personnel carried out a disinfection programme thereafter. The minister noted that all shops will reopen on Monday from 6.00 am.

The Minister also noted that at a time when the whole world is in an economic crisis, the government has taken steps to limit the import of other items giving priority to essential
commodities.He said this decision was taken in order to minimise the devaluation of the rupee.

The Director General of the Government Information Department Nalaka Kaluwewa also participated in this media briefing.