28 April 2020 12:06 am
Estate Infrastructure Facilities Minister Arumugam Thondaman said at least 7,000 people from the estate sector who had been employed in Colombo had returned to the upcountry when curfew was declared.
He said the individuals had arrived in Nuwara Eliya through secret routes without the knowledge of health authorities.
He told the media that the SLTB transported people between Hatton and Avissawella during the past few days.
“Estate sector workers in Colombo had walked along the Kelani Valley railway line and taken a bus to Hatton. Hundreds of others had paid gratification to drivers and travelled by lorries transporting vegetables on essential services permits. I explained this situation to Transport Minister Mahinda Amaraweera and suspended the bus service between Hatton and Avissawella. Steps have been taken to identify the individuals who arrived from Colombo and to direct them to quarantine,” he said.