Local News: The Sri Lankan business community has taken significant steps over the last few days to change the way they do business and also to help authorities through donations in a sensitive effort to cope with the current challenges raised by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Supermarket chains and suppliers were successful in handling hundreds of customers who yesterday thronged supermarkets to replenish essential products in districts other than Colombo, Gampaha, Puttalam and five districts in the Northern Province— as the three-day curfew ended temporarily for a few hours in that districts-.
In a bid to monitor the spread of Coronavirus, the authorities of most supermarkets and retail chains had taken precautionary steps to protect both clients and their employees. They said the day before, they would’ make sure that after curfew ends no one panic buys big amounts.’ As per the retailers ‘ instructions, customers entered shops with face masks and kept the one-meter gap from each other.
Through asking retailers to forward their food and critical stock lists through What’s App, Viber and other similar contact tools, several retail stores and cooperatives have taken steps to keep the orders ready in advance. And a few more have also taken a further step to coordinate distribution services.
Several company organizations provided buildings and property for government use as medical facilities and/or quarantine centres. Executive Director of Citrus Resorts Dilith Jayaweera wrote to the president saying, “At this time of national need, we humbly offer to the government Citrus Waskaduwa for use as a’ quarantine center’ during the COVID-19 crisis.” Chairman John Keells, Krishan Balendra wrote to the president offering the resort of the John Keells Group in Trincomalee for use as a COVID-19 quarantine center on a tea.
