SUNDAY 13 JUNE 2021 LATEST EDITION VOL: 10/27 PRICE : RS 70.00 Inside Story Cardboard Coffins Take Funeral Industry by Storm While family and friends mourn the dead, there are others who find business opportunities in those tears. Although a majority of people would prefer to talk See on about the last rites of their dead in... PAGE A16 A6 Travel restrictions extended till 21 June BY DILANTHI JAYAMANNE Travel restrictions currently imposed have been further extended by another week to 21 June 2021, Head of the National Operation Centre for Travel Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) General Shavendra Silva said. child can understand. This is Contrary to claims made by the Government of visible on every road in the keeping with its plan to lift restrictions as scheduled country and at every junction. on Monday (14) at 4 a.m., the curbs will instead be If permission had been granted extended till 4 a.m. on 21 June. Restrictions only to essential services vehicles Medical professionals have appealed of the to travel on the roads, people Government for at least two weeks of restrictions to question how it is that every road control the spread of COVID-19 in the country. leading into Colombo and out of the city have such traffic congestion. a Sham Although it was only pharmacies which could remain open, it is possible to see even Roads brimming with vehicles other shops open in certain areas. By observing that there is no decrease in the spread of the Even tailor shops are open COVID pandemic due to the travel restrictions, it has been confirmed even now that the COVID spread has not reduced outbreak is spreading far and wide. It is not wrong to say, after restrictions, to prevent the A grave concern has arisen why observing the happenings during COVID virus from spreading, authorities do not understand the past few days that travel when you go onto the roads, it is the fact that due to the travel restrictions, which are being possible to see traffic congestion restrictions being limited to only Rs 5,000 allowance extended week by week, are a and shops open at almost every words, the country and its people total farce. junction and what is being done are suffering further and being However much the authorities here is an act that is being inconvenienced and people are cost Govt Rs 7.7B boast that movement of people is carried out to deceive people, becoming victims of the COVID BY FAADHILA THASSIM restricted by imposing travel which is a joke that even a young pandemic, daily. A total of Rs 7.7 billion was distributed amongst Samurdhi recipients, low-income earners, and those who had lost their income due to the COVID-19 pandemic, by way of the payment of Rs 5,000 allowance from 2 to 10 June, SLPP MP Ranjith Bandara said. Highest He added a total of 88 per cent of Samurdhi recipients, low-income earners, and those who had lost their income due to the COVID-19 pandemic had received their Rs COVID-19 death 5,000 allowance within eight days. Youth employed at Port City will Bandara said over 178,000 families in Colombo and Gampaha alone had received this allowance, adding that toll recorded the distribution is taking place at a rapid pace in order to BY DILANTHI JAYAMANNE receive minimum US$ 1,000 support these affected families. BY W.K. PRASAD MANJU He also said that there is a possibility While the payment of the Rs 5000 allowance Sri Lanka recorded 101 deaths on Thursday that attention will be focused more on commenced on 2 June, State Minister of Samurdhi, (10), the highest so far, the National Operation Member of the Colombo Port City youth who have a good education with Household Economy, Micro Finance, Self-Employment Centre for Preventing COVID-19 (NOCPCO) Economic Commission, Secretary to the knowledge in computers, information and Business Development, Shehan Semasinghe said. Ministry of Water Supply, Dr. Priyath technology and those who are proficient previously stated that it would be first paid to Samurdhi Quoting Director General Health Services Bandu Wickrema told Ceylon Today that in the English language. recipients. (DGHS), Dr. Asela Gunawardana, the Centre Sri Lankan youths, who receive job Dr. Wickrema also pointed out that Semasinghe further stated that a total of six to 6.5 said this had brought the COVID-19 death toll opportunities at the Colombo Port City, banks, hospitals, universities, computer million families are entitled to the allowance and that the to 2,011. will receive a salary of at least US Dollars institutions, information technology Government has made the necessary allocations. Deputy Director General (Disaster 1,000 and salaries will increase according organisations, institutions of higher Management and Preparedness), Dr. Hemantha to the nature of the job. Accordingly, they education, various offices, organisations Herath said that although PCR tests of COVID will be given an opportunity to earn from providing various types of services, hotels, victims could be issued almost immediately, USD 1,000 to 1,500, 2,000 and 3,000 and conference halls, leisure parks, sports some could be delayed. Therefore, when maybe even more depending on the type activities, shopping complexes as well as a reporting COVID deaths, there are those who of job. number of other organisations and offices died on that particular day while others were He pointed out that during the initial of international companies will be set up Indian Police bust those who had died earlier. 5-10 years 83,000 job opportunities will at the Colombo Port City and that job Meanwhile, the NOCPCO issuing the total be created but during the first two years opportunities here will mainly be granted human smuggling number of COVID-19 cases recorded on 10 about 10,000 will be given jobs. to the youth of Sri Lanka. June said that Colombo reported 339 with the The basic buildings will be constructed A policy decision had been taken by the highest number of cases from Avissawella (87), within the first two years and the youth Government recently that 75 per cent of operation Wellawatta (38), Mattakkuliya (30), Borella (26) community of this country will receive a job opportunities in the Colombo Port City and Maradana (26). number of job opportunities in the field of should be given to the youth of this Gampaha District recorded 575 cases with construction. Subsequently, after the two country and the relevant proposal had 70 Sri Lankans arrested the highest number being reported from years, offices and institutions will be been submitted by Minister of Sports and BY SULOCHANA RAMIAH MOHAN Nittambuwa (171), Gampaha (42), Kadawatha established and many jobs will be Youth Affair, Digital Technology and (42), Minuwangoda (33), Negombo (33), available in relation to those, Dr. Enterprise Development State Minister, A human smuggling operation involving around 70 Veyangoda (32), Biyagama (28) and Ja-ela (26), Wickrema added. Namal Rajapaksa. Sri Lankans, mostly Tamils from the North, was However, the total number of cases from the thwarted by the Karnataka Police on Friday (11). Kalutara District in the Western Province had They travelled in boats to Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu in not been issued. When contacted, NOCPCO different batches, Ceylon Today learns. said that it did not receive data from the Thirty-eight of them had arrived on 17 March 2021 District. Fuel price hike unavoidable in Tuticorin on a boat and had travelled to The Deputy Director General (Disaster Mangalore, Karnataka. They had been residing in Management and Preparedness said that the – Gammanpila lodges and houses in Mangalore, Karnataka matter had to be inquired from the Commissioner of Police Shashi Kumar told Ceylon Epidemiology Unit or obtained from its website. Today on Friday. They had left for Mangalore due to However the website reported the total number CPC Rs 331B in the Red elections in Tamil Nadu, he added. of COVID cases identified following the New BY THAMEENAH RAZEEK “Regrettably, the Government is no Investigations conducted jointly with Tamil Nadu Year as 16,024. longer able to endure such a significant intelligence revealed that another 40 illegal migrants The Chief of the Epidemiology Unit was not Due to the loss of Rs 331 billion loss. There has never been a time in had arrived in the State and had remained there. All available for Comment. incurred by the Ceylon Petroleum history when the price of fuel in the of them had travelled to Tuticorin in boats from the Health sources in Kalutara said that several Corporation (CPC) by 2020, as a result of country did not increase for such a Northern part of Sri Lanka, he said. cases had been diagnosed from Kalutara on continued selling of fuel at lower prices, lengthy period of time even when the “Each of them has paid their agents between Rs. Thursday (10) although there is a minute the Cabinet Sub Committee on Cost of global market price did. As a result, the 600,000 to Rs. 1 million and one of the agents was decline in the number of daily cases reported, Living has agreed to revise fuel pricing in CPC has already declared bankruptcy also nabbed in Tamil Nadu,” he said. they added. the near future. and is unable to pay its debts,” he said. The illegal migrants said that they wanted to go to Minister of Energy, Udaya Gammanpila In conclusion, he stated that the Canada for job opportunities and some claimed they declined to give a time frame for the tourism industry has collapsed, foreign had contacts there.