Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has requested the President to give priority to vaccinate all factory workers with the COVID shot.
He said that even during the height of the pandemic these workers had directly contributed to the country’s production process and therefore, they should be administered with the vaccine without delay.
There are 14 BOI Free Trade Zones island wide and in addition, there is an industrial park.
Within the 14 Free Trade Zones alone there are over 250 factories with an employee cadre of over 130,000.
The Minister noted that there are over 1,700 factories located throughout the country with over 500,000 workers contributing to the country’s production process. He said that there is a large group that is indirectly involved which provides these factories with food requirements and other facilities.
Despite the COVID pandemic, Sri Lanka was able to add $8.5 billion to the country’s revenue due to the commitment of these employees. This contribution to the country’s economy is around 70% of the country’s total revenue.
These factories are functioning in accordance with the health guidelines and it has been decided to provide the vaccine for all citizens over the age of 30 years.
The Minister noted that while the majority of factory workers maybe covered under this initiative, it would be even better if a special vaccination programme could be launched specifically for these factory workers.
The President had agreed to Minister Ranatunga’s request to give priority to those engaged in the tourism industry during the vaccination drive. Accordingly, the Minister said that those engaged in the tourism sector will be receiving their COVID vaccine very soon.
