“All factory managements are advised to strictly adhere to health guidelines and precautions as mandatory enforcing all elaborate procedures as advised by health authorities while ensuring that their employees are examined at least thrice a day for fever and are not at all exposed to outsiders in society as much as possible,” so warned Hon Minister of Health, Mrs Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi during one more special discussion, held yesterday (13) at the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO), together with all garment factory owners across the island and in Free Trade Zones, and company management representatives.
The emergency meeting co-chaired by the Health Minister, Secretary to Ministry of Health, Major General (Dr) Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Head, NOCPCO, Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva and the acting Director General of Health Services, closely evaluated present developments in depth, discussed emergency prevention procedures and emergency plan of action in the event of detection of a positive patient, all that should be adopted in country-wide factories and offices, and launch of strategic operational methods to curb its transmission to the outside society.
Conduct of temperature testing on employees at least thrice a day, close inspection of their places of accommodation, close contacts, frequenting public places, constant change of working hours and shifts in factories to ease congestion in transport systems, supply of meals, etc, immediate update of right addresses of those employees with necessary other particulars, facilitation of contact-tracing,
The meeting was also told that a Naval operational room in the Biyagama and Katunayake zones would conduct PCR tests inside the zones, enabling all to undergo these tests free of charge as another alternative arrangement to cut down the rush for such tests. The factory management was advised to strictly isolate factory areas and restrict entry of outsiders to their compounds to prevent transmission of the virus. They were also instructed to liaise closely with respective MOH authorities, Public Health Inspectors, Epidemiologists and so on to receive all updates and necessary instructions.