RW renews call to Govt. to summon all-party meeting

• Says joint comprehensive strategy needed to combat COVID-19 outbreak 
• Regrets that some yet to understand situation’s seriousness 
• Urges public to cooperate with authorities and help slow down spread of virus

United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday renewed his call to the Government to summon an all-party conference to work out a comprehensive strategy to minimise the impact of COVID-19 and said his party would extend its fullest support to these efforts. 

Ranil Wickremesinghe

“As there is a need to jointly work towards combating this problem, I called on the Government last week to summon all political parties’ leaders and discuss this issue. I also wrote to the Election Commission Chairman requesting him to consider the prevailing situation as an election has been announced while former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya wrote to the Prime Minister requesting that all parties be taken into confidence and a national strategy be worked out,” Wickremesinghe said in a statement yesterday.

He said the country was facing a major challenge in stopping the spread of the COVID-19 but that it was regrettable that some people were yet to understand the seriousness of the situation.

He said that far more developed countries in Europe were grappling with COVID-19 control measures and that Sri Lanka was not adequately equipped to deal with a major public health emergency.

“In Italy there are 25 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds for every 200,000 persons while in Sri Lanka it is one bed for the same number. We are also short of other essential equipment and facilities to deal with a large number of patients which is why it is important to control the spread of the illness,” the UNP Leader said.

Wickremesinghe also urged the public to cooperate with authorities and help slowdown the spread of the virus.