Ranil calls for an extension of the lockdown

United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe today called for an extension of the lockdown.

He said that the whole country will support a further lockdown in accordance with medical advice.

“So therefore, I would like to recommend to the Government, to the President, to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers that we extend this lockdown according to medical advice,” Wickremesinghe said.

The former Prime Minister said that on Monday and Tuesday, six people he knew passed away due to COVID-19.

“Mangala Samaraweera, who spoke to Samantha Powers and requested vaccines for Sri Lanka has also passed away. In addition to him, Mr. Rajamahendran, similarly D.S. Wijesinghe President?s Council, are among the large number of well-known people who have become victims to COVID-19,” Wickremesinghe said.

Wickremesinghe noted that the epidemiology unit had said that there have been late entries, so they will have to revise these numbers by about four thousand (4,000).

“There is a rapid spread of COVID. The number of deaths came up to five thousand (5,000) on August 7th, twenty (20) days later by the end of this day it will be eight thousand (8,000). Three thousand (3,000) deaths have taken place in twenty 20 days. That is a high rate, the number of people affected will be about fifty thousand (50,000),” he said.

Wickremesinghe said that there are concerns over the economic damage that can be caused by a lockdown.

However, he said the country has reached a point where the damage caused by a lockdown is far less than the damage caused by not having a lockdown. (Colombo Gazette)