The government’s decision to allow tourists into the country under the travel bubble procedure is an extension of its earlier experiment to bring Ukrainian tourists into the country to see if Covid will spread.
Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa accused the government of once again engaging in the usual by turning the Sri Lankan public into lab rats by doing this and by opening attractions such as Yala for tourists.
‘People responsible for the government themselves have said publicly that the government does not care for peoples’ lives and that its usual for it to play with peoples’ lives. After Covid started countries closed their doors to tourists but Sri Lanka is a country where the government advertised and brought in Covid and tourists. The Ukrainian tourists who cameviolated quarantine regulations and traveled all over the country without any controls. This government will go down in history as one which said that it brought Ukrainian tourists to the country as an experiment to see if Covid would spread. ‘
In a statement issued today, the Opposition leader questions what destruction the government is trying to wreak by bringing tourists at a time when there are travel restrictions and a lockdown in place.
‘Why is the government treating tourists as first class citizens and Sri Lankans as second class citizens? At a time when a host of countries including the UK and USA have barred their citizens from coming to Sri Lanka is the government embarking on the second phase of the Ukrainian debacle and opening the door to a new Covid cluster? ‘
Mr. Premadasa said that throughout the world countries have taken responsible measures to keep their people safe. ‘In Sri Lanka, when more than 3000 Covid positive patients are being detected daily and there has been an alarming rise in the death rate, why is the government pushing the country towards a dangerous third wave ?’
He demands an assurance from the government that another variant of the virus will not be brought into the country by opening it to tourists.
In conclusion, Mr. Premadasa asks the government to stop playing with peoples’ lives to satisfy the whims of a few and points out that its primary, secondary and third objective must be to keep the lives of the people protected.
