News
Medical lab technologists raise fears over further relaxing of preventive measure to please businesses
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Sri Lanka should not change quarantine laws at the whims and fancies of big businesses, President of the College of Medical Laboratory Science, Ravi Kumudesh told The Island yesterday, commenting on attempts made to relax such laws to facilitate tourist arrivals.
“Former ambassador to Russia and an architect of the plan to bring in Ukrainian tourists, Udayanga Weeratunga, tells the media that Sri Lankan quarantine laws are not practical and that it’s unrealistic to expect tourists to be quarantined for 14 days. He also tells us that there is no need to subject tourists to 5 – 6 PCR tests. These sentiments are echoed by Ministers and MPs in Parliament.”
Kumudesh said that countries like Malaysia and Thailand, which had larger tourism industries, had not changed their quarantine laws to attract tourists. Compared to Sri Lanka, the contribution of tourism to the GDP of those countries was much larger, he said.
Kumudesh said that Ukraine already had five new types of coronavirus and was struggling to contain infection in their own country. He also criticized the government for misleading people by saying that tourists remained in a Bio-secure bubble.
He said: “Bio-secure bubble is an environment where tourists are cut off from the outside world, to minimise and prevent the risk of being exposed to the coronavirus. But is it what’s happening now? No one puts COVID-19 cases, associates or those untested for the coronavirus inside such a bubble. We are also responsible to ensure the safety of tourists as well. We are heading for big trouble and if tourists contract COVID-19 here, that will spell trouble for us in the long term. If you want to change the quarantine laws, do it based on science and not because of what business people want.”
News
Establishment of an Institutional Framework to Inagurate Upper Hydro Catchment Areas Management Authority
Policy approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 08.06.2026 to establish the Upper Hydro Catchment Areas Management Authority for identification and
execution of a formal and long – lasting remedy to secure the central hills including the upper hydro catchment areas enabling them to sustain amidst extreme weather conditions
due to natural calamities and human activities as well as to be used for the sustainable development of the country.
Accordingly, a concept paper has been prepared including
institutional structure, activities, powers, active subject area as well as administrative and coordination mechanism for the proposed authority by an expert technical committee appointed by the Secretary to the President.
Based on the said concept paper, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the President to instruct the Legal Draftsman to prepare a draft bill including legal provisions required for the establishment of Upper Hydro Catchment Areas Management Authority.
News
Introduction of Flora and Fauna (Regulation of actions of the Indigenous Community within the nominated areas) Regulations
With the objective of securing the traditional livelihood and the eco system of the indigenous community, it has been recognized the necessity of introducing a formal regulation methodology to secure their engagement in livelihood activities by being more sensitive to the existing laws.
Thereby, the Fauna and Flora (regularizing) regulations under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (Authority 469) have been prepared so that nominated activities within the prescribed area to a member of the indigenous community
who has been registered for securing the rights acquired from law or custom or usage or traditional stance to execute an act within a certain state land that is fundamental to the survival of the indigenous community permission can be granted
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Environment to publish the said regulations in the government gazette notification and thereby submit to the Parliament for its concurrence.
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