The Ceylon Institute of Builders (CIOB) is urging the government to provide a corona vaccine to construction workers as soon as possible on the priority basis.
Dr. Rohan Karunaratne, President of Ceylon Institute of Builders, had made this request in a letter to Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, on behalf of the Construction Industry of Sri Lanka.
Dr. Rohan Karunaratne said that there are about 700,000 workers engaged in the Construction Industry in Sri Lanka. He continues that “Despite the Corona epidemic, around 500,000 workers are engaged in various construction projects across Sri Lanka, all of whom are at risk of infection. If construction workers are affected with the virus, Corona clusters can form in various districts across stage counties. In addition, ongoing construction projects may not be able to proceed.
The contribution of the industry to the GDP of Sri Lanka is forecasted to be about 10%. Therefore, we urge the government to place construction workers next in line to receive the vaccine, continuing on a priority basis.’’
