Task Force on essential services discusses critical issues

Reviews providing of essential goods, medicines; allowing people to withdraw cash looked at

The Presidential Task Force on Essential Services yesterday met and discussed several key issues facing Sri Lankans in an effort to provide solutions.  

At the special meeting held at Temple Trees, the measures currently taken to maintain essential services in the country were comprehensively reviewed and the measures to be taken were discussed in detail, the Task Force said in a statement.

Accordingly, attention was drawn to the following items:

• Review of the ongoing program of providing essential items including food to those who have not been able to get them although they have cash in hand.
• Focus on the latest program initiated concurrently with the Department of Posts regarding the supply of medicines.
• Strategies to enable those who do not have cash in hand but in their bank accounts, to withdraw cash.
• Completion of the payment of Rs. 5,000 allowance to Samurdhi recipients by 31 March.
• Focus on relief measures for the families who are suffering from the loss of jobs due to the news coronavirus pandemic, who were not included in the Government’s assistance list.
• The necessity to boost production of food items locally and for achieving self-sufficiency in rice, vegetables, fish and poultry by the next season.
• Measures to maintain the livestock industry in Sri Lanka by improving the supply and transport of animal feed. 

Curfew or isolation areas only decided 

by COVID-19 Prevention Task Force

Decisions on where to impose curfew or create isolation areas in the country will only be taken by the Task Force to Prevent COVID-19, which is headed by the Army Commander, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said yesterday.

According to a statement by the PMD, such decisions should not be taken at divisional level as it would inconvenience the public. The PMD further said information that would be important to contain COVID-19 should be directed to the COVID-19 Prevention Presidential Task Force.

Meanwhile, Police curfew imposed across nine districts in the country was lifted last morning. Police curfew was re-imposed in these areas at 2 p.m. according to the President’s Media Division.