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UNP Deputy Leader says lockdown must be enforced scientifically to reap full benefits
By Saman Indrajith
UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene yesterday said that the maximum use of the lockdown would not be achieved unless it becomes scientific.
He said that the lockdown would have no use if the country was kept open for the public to roam free on streets as that was not the expectation of the health authorities and other experts who demanded a lockdown.
Any decision on extending the lockdown, Wijewardene said should be taken on a “scientific basis” as it was aimed at saving people’s lives from the pandemic. To prevent the spread of the virus, people had to stay in their homes. “But if you go to the street and take a look you see the same number of people and vehicles that continue to operate as in a usual working day. The government should intervene immediately and implement the lockdown to the letter to achieve its desired results,” the UNP Deputy Leader said.
Wijewardene said, that his party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe had called for a scientific lockdown and also suggested the recommendations to the government in a 21-point plan to save the economy which is on the verge of collapse. The need for a scientific lockdown is on the basis of doctors and medical experts’ recommendations to bring down the deaths and to prevent further spread of the virus by confining people to their homes. That target would not be achieved if the government would not convert the prevailing situation into a scientific lockdown,” Wijewardene told The Island.
BBC reported that thousands of people are being evacuated downstream of a major dam which has been blown up in Russian-held Ukraine.
President Zelensky said 80 towns and villages were at risk of flooding after the destruction of the dam at Nova Kakhovka, which he blamed on Russia. Water is surging down the Dnipro river and is said to pose a catastrophic flooding risk to the city of Kherson.
Russia has denied destroying the dam – which it controls – instead blaming Ukrainian shelling. Neither Ukraine or Russia’s claim has been verified by the BBC.
The Kakhovka dam is crucial in the region. It contains a reservoir, which provides water to farmers and residents, as well as to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. It is also is a vital channel carrying water south to Russian-occupied Crimea.
Video footage shows a torrent of floodwater gushing through a breach in the dam. Several towns are already flooded, while people in areas further downstream were forced to flee by bus and train.
Around 40,000 people need to be evacuated, Deputy Prosecutor-General Viktoriya Lytvynova said on Ukrainian television – 17,000 people in Ukraine-controlled territory west of the Dnipro River and 25,000 on the Russian-controlled east.
Chief of Staff to the President and National Security Advisor (NSA) Sagala Ratnayaka led the Sri Lanka delegation to the 20th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier Security Summit held in Singapore from 2 – 4 June 2023.
The highly anticipated summit commenced on 2 June with a powerful Keynote address delivered by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Throughout the event, a series of plenary sessions delved into various crucial geo-political issues, encompassing the establishment of a stable and balanced Asia Pacific, the resolution of regional tensions, the evolution of maritime security in Asia, US leadership in the Indo-Pacific, and China’s latest security initiatives, among other topics.
During the Special Session focusing on ‘Defence Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region,’ Ratnayaka delivered an impactful statement, participating alongside representatives from India, Oman, France, and the United States. He emphasized the significance of keeping big power rivalries and external conflicts out of the Indian Ocean, highlighting Sri Lanka’s efforts in the United Nations to declare the region as a zone of peace. Furthermore, he underscored the country’s contributions to preserving freedom of navigation and over flight, stressing the crucial need for constructive dialogue among all stakeholders in the Indian Ocean region to pursue shared interests.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal raised by the Minister of Health to reduce the maximum retail price of 60 medicines by 16% with effect from 15.06.2023 and review the price of medicines every three months
Australia and India set for showdown at The Oval
Thousands flee floods after dam collapse near Nova Kakhovka
Sagala Ratnayaka leads Sri Lanka delegation to 20th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue
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