A welcome step
The issuance of a fresh set of guidelines by the health authorities for work places and public activities is a reminder to all that by no means have we seen the last of the coronavirus in this country while at the same time conveying a clear message that life must go on and at no stage will normal activity be brought to a halt. Signs of normality are already evident with more and more people venturing outdoors and commercial and business activity gradually picking up.
Despite the secure feeling entertained by the public the Government is still exercising understandable caution not permitting a free rein. According to our main story yesterday the Health Ministry has issued a downloadable booklet setting down guidelines for 46 work settings and public activities, with an emphasis on the ‘new normal’ and responsible behaviours to be adopted by all Sri Lankans as well as foreigners living here.
While it has laid stress on the health guidelines already in practice, post coronavirus, a fresh set of guidelines have been issued covering a wide gamut of professions, occupations, services and other activities including mundane functions. These include the behaviour to be followed while travelling in buses, trains, trishaws, seating arrangements in hotels, at weddings, seminars, public meetings, sporting centres etc which hitherto had free license.
This is as it should be. The country cannot be allowed to slip into despair, despondency and a state of paralysis enslaved by a pandemic. It is admittedly monstrously dangerous, but we must emerge from the threat by adapting counter measures.
Besides, we have to sooner or later get accustomed to the prevailing situation with the authorities expressing the view that the world will have to live with the pandemic for a long time to come. It is perhaps this thinking that has prompted even some of the worst hit countries to lift their restrictions and allow the resumption of day to day life.
Hence the sooner all Sri Lankans get used to the new order of things the easier it will be in the long run. The ‘ New Normal’ ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ of the Health Ministry certainly has been well thought out taking into consideration job specific situations. This is as it should be since there are occupations where body contact and proximity among individuals are unavoidable especially in the services sector and heavy duty labour. This may be one of the reasons for the authorities to order work places to cut down on their staff to 50 percent or less. There is sound reasoning behind this.
Many workplaces have a sizeable contingent of maintenance staff who often sit cheek by jowl due to the nature of their work. It is essential that they are not exposed to undue risk while at the same time enabling them to engage in their occupations. Besides, all occupations deemed high risk (from Coronavirus) are those involving maintenance work or services which are in public demand and an essential component in keeping normal life on the move.
On no occasion should any job or occupation be dispensed with citing the Coronavirus risk. This would lead to a dislocation of normal life. These jobs should be allowed to continue within permissible limits. There is yet no decision to reopen cinema halls and a ban is still imposed on musical shows and the entertainment industry all of which have thousands of dependents.
These should be gradually “opened up” after a careful assessment. How can the cinema thrive without so called ‘love scenes’, one would ask, without compromising the existing health guidelines. Ditto for sports like rugby which cannot be played sans body contact. Are we going to see a whole blackout of entertainment and the pleasure of witnessing sporting encounters, hemmed in by a virus ? Hopefully these issues will be addressed in due course.
Meanwhile, the health authorities are also set to issue a set of guidelines enabling the holding of a risk-free General Election. The guidelines are to be forwarded to the Elections Commission in the coming days, according to media reports.
The guidelines will cover the distribution of polling cards, printing of ballot papers, and the process to be followed since the end of polling to the announcement of the results, not to mention the stipulations to be followed in house to house canvassing and the holding of public meetings. Emphasis no doubt will be laid on electioneering via the electronic media although it is moot if this would be feasible given the sheer number of political parties and Independent groups.
By all appearances, this is going to be the most subdued election campaign ever in this country devoid of high octane rhetoric and personal abuse, not to mention violent encounters between rivals.
If this be the case, the coronavirus despite all the destruction it has wrought, may be able to list among its positive fallouts the contribution it will have made towards the holding of violence-free elections in this country.
The issuance of a fresh set of guidelines by the health authorities for work places and public activities is a reminder to all that by no means have we seen the last of the coronavirus in this country while at the same time conveying a clear message that life must go on and at no stage will normal activity be brought to a halt. Signs of normality are already evident with more and more people venturing outdoors and commercial and business activity gradually picking up.
Despite the secure feeling entertained by the public the Government is still exercising understandable caution not permitting a free rein. According to our main story yesterday the Health Ministry has issued a downloadable booklet setting down guidelines for 46 work settings and public activities, with an emphasis on the ‘new normal’ and responsible behaviours to be adopted by all Sri Lankans as well as foreigners living here.
While it has laid stress on the health guidelines already in practice, post coronavirus, a fresh set of guidelines have been issued covering a wide gamut of professions, occupations, services and other activities including mundane functions. These include the behaviour to be followed while travelling in buses, trains, trishaws, seating arrangements in hotels, at weddings, seminars, public meetings, sporting centres etc which hitherto had free license.
This is as it should be. The country cannot be allowed to slip into despair, despondency and a state of paralysis enslaved by a pandemic. It is admittedly monstrously dangerous, but we must emerge from the threat by adapting counter measures.
Besides, we have to sooner or later get accustomed to the prevailing situation with the authorities expressing the view that the world will have to live with the pandemic for a long time to come. It is perhaps this thinking that has prompted even some of the worst hit countries to lift their restrictions and allow the resumption of day to day life.
Hence the sooner all Sri Lankans get used to the new order of things the easier it will be in the long run. The ‘ New Normal’ ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ of the Health Ministry certainly has been well thought out taking into consideration job specific situations. This is as it should be since there are occupations where body contact and proximity among individuals are unavoidable especially in the services sector and heavy duty labour. This may be one of the reasons for the authorities to order work places to cut down on their staff to 50 percent or less. There is sound reasoning behind this.
Many workplaces have a sizeable contingent of maintenance staff who often sit cheek by jowl due to the nature of their work. It is essential that they are not exposed to undue risk while at the same time enabling them to engage in their occupations. Besides, all occupations deemed high risk (from Coronavirus) are those involving maintenance work or services which are in public demand and an essential component in keeping normal life on the move.
On no occasion should any job or occupation be dispensed with citing the Coronavirus risk. This would lead to a dislocation of normal life. These jobs should be allowed to continue within permissible limits. There is yet no decision to reopen cinema halls and a ban is still imposed on musical shows and the entertainment industry all of which have thousands of dependents.
These should be gradually “opened up” after a careful assessment. How can the cinema thrive without so called ‘love scenes’, one would ask, without compromising the existing health guidelines. Ditto for sports like rugby which cannot be played sans body contact. Are we going to see a whole blackout of entertainment and the pleasure of witnessing sporting encounters, hemmed in by a virus ? Hopefully these issues will be addressed in due course.
Meanwhile, the health authorities are also set to issue a set of guidelines enabling the holding of a risk-free General Election. The guidelines are to be forwarded to the Elections Commission in the coming days, according to media reports.
The guidelines will cover the distribution of polling cards, printing of ballot papers, and the process to be followed since the end of polling to the announcement of the results, not to mention the stipulations to be followed in house to house canvassing and the holding of public meetings. Emphasis no doubt will be laid on electioneering via the electronic media although it is moot if this would be feasible given the sheer number of political parties and Independent groups.
By all appearances, this is going to be the most subdued election campaign ever in this country devoid of high octane rhetoric and personal abuse, not to mention violent encounters between rivals.
If this be the case, the coronavirus despite all the destruction it has wrought, may be able to list among its positive fallouts the contribution it will have made towards the holding of violence-free elections in this country.
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