Don’t be too hasty to reopen country, consequences can be devastating – govt. MP

By Shamindra Ferdinando

SLPP National List MP Gevindu Cumaratunga yesterday (5) said that the recent decision to call all public servants to return to work from this week should be immediately reversed against the backdrop of alarming situation at hospitals treating Covid-19 patients. “Let us not play politics. Several hospitals have declared an emergency situation as the daily caseload and deaths go up.”

Appreciating the ongoing drive to inoculate the population, lawmaker Cumaratunga however asserted that perhaps the decision to restore public service to pre-Covid level should have been delayed.

Hours after MP Cumaratunga’s statement, the government said that the circular issued pertaining to restoration of public service to pre-Covid status would be amended.

State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana assured parliament yesterday that pregnant women wouldn’t be asked to report to work.

The government cancelled all previous circulars to pave the way for resumption of public service last Monday (2).

MP Cumaratunga, who is also Chairman of Yuthukama civil society group, said that reports received from several hospitals in Colombo, its suburbs and the provinces were quite alarming and distressing.

The prominent public interest activist said that the government shouldn’t hesitate to take remedial measures if it realized a particular decision could cause a catastrophe.

“If we aren’t cautious, the whole costly exercise to restore normalcy can be affected. Therefore, immediate precautions are necessary. Restricting movement of public servants is a necessity,” the MP said, adding that though the government recognized the need to address teachers’ grievances, those protesting groups shouldn’t act in a manner that undermined safety measures.

A fresh major Covid-19 eruption could be quite devastating, the MP said, pointing out how the national economy suffered during this period. “We shouldn’t risk everything by re-opening the country, too, soon,” the lawmaker said. Having suffered unbearable losses, the national economy couldn’t take further blows, MP Cumaratunga said, while appreciating the decision not to present the Kotelawela National Defence University Bill on Friday (6) in the wake of continuing protests.

Cumaratunga stressed that Yuthukama too submitted amendments as it didn’t accept the Bill for obvious reasons. However, the MP cautioned those who had taken to the streets not to contribute to the epidemic. Referring to ongoing teachers’ strike, the MP said that the situation was so dicey that no one, whatever their political affiliations, could jeopardize current health guidelines.

MP Cumaratunga said that careful examination of the health situation was necessary and no one could act contrary to the advice given by health authorities. A delay on the government’s part to respond to what the MP called a worst case scenario could trigger a crisis that might cripple the country. Better to reverse the decision to speed up the re-opening process than causing the population harm, he added.