9 March 2021 12:00 am
By Yohan Perera
Covid-19 vaccine will be given to all Sri Lankans within three months, a senior Minister said over the weekend.
Minister of Highways and Chief Government Whip Johnston Fernando who was speaking on the inauguration of the North Central province road construction programme said the government will provide COVID-19 vaccine to all people in Sri Lanka within three months.
“Both the President and Prime Minister has instructed all Ministers to get the vaccine as such an exercise would encourage people to go and get it without fear. The opposition came out with an allegation saying Ministers are getting the vaccine without giving an opportunity for the people. If the ministers did not obtain the vaccine they would have said we are avoiding taking it because it is substandard. The Rajitha, Sajith, Champika and Dissanayake clans are engaged in slinging mud at us today,” the Minister said.
“Former JVP MP Lalkantha has said in his facebook post that his party will form a government soon. Someone has put a comment saying whether they are going to form a government in their dreams. The JVP leader is slinging mud at us today. One wonders as to whom he is trying to bring into power. It may be the Sajith, Rajitha and Champika clans,” he added.
“The Government is yet to decide on the Crudia Zeylanka tree. The Government will have to spend an extra sum of Rs 8.6 billion if the Central Expressway is to be constructed without felling of this tree. When we were getting ready to begin the work of this expressway JVP started erecting placards and started opposing it,” the Minister also said.