(Prime Minister’s Media Division)
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PM says global Covid vaccines cannot be used in SL sans WHO go-ahead
by Norman Palihawadana
Sri Lanka will be able to administer vaccines now being rolled out in other countries to treat covid-19 patients only on the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO), Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said.
“There is a clamor in some quarters to procure these global vaccines but WHO approval and certification are mandatory to use the products in our country”, the premier told The Sunday Island.
He said that those who are vociferous that the government should access these vaccines should understand that this cannot be done sans the WHO’s stamp of approval on 100% safety and efficacy on their use on Sri Lankan coronavirus patients.
Adherence to health safety guidelines is the answer to prevent the further transmission of the virus, Rajapaksa stressed. “Unfortunately, some people are still not taking the threat seriously as they tend to ignore preventive measures”.
What’s imperative at this juncture is not to sit back and criticize ongoing efforts but to cooperate with public health officials, police and the army to curb the threat and restore normalcy in the country, the Prime Minister underscored.
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The Navy on Sunday night (17) took into custody an Indian fishing boat, along with three fishermen, off the Delft Island, Jaffna.
The Navy said that the Northern Naval Command, having spotted a group of Indian boats engaged in illegal fishing, deployed its craft to drive them away. One boat that had remained in Sri Lankan waters was taken into custody, along with three fishermen, and brought to the KKS harbour and handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Mailadi, Jaffna, for prosecution.
Parliament has passed a motion for establishing seven Sectoral Oversight Committees. As per the decision taken by the Committee of Selection, the motion in this regard was presented to Parliament on Monday (17) by the Leader of the House of Parliament and Minister Bimal Rathnayake, upon which the approval of the House was granted. Political parties reached an agreement regarding the distribution of chairmanships of these Sectoral Oversight Committees between the Government and the Opposition, M. Jayalath Perera, Director Legislative Services / Director Communication (Acting) said in a press release issued yesterday.
Accordingly, the chairmanships of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Economic Development and International Relations, Sectoral Oversight Committee on Health, Media and Women’s Empowerment, Sectoral Oversight Committee on Science, Technology and Digital Transformation, and Sectoral Oversight Committee on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection were agreed to be allocated to the Government.
Meanwhile, approval was granted to allocate the chairmanships of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development, Sectoral Oversight Committee on Education, Manpower and Human Capital, and Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Agriculture and Resource Sustainability to the Opposition.
Responding to a question posed by The Island, Perera said that defence and public security would come under Sectoral Oversight Committee on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection.
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