Office transport facilities for essential workers commute between provinces: Dilum

Permission will be granted if buses are requested institutionally to transport employees only for essential services, Transport State Minister Dilum Amunugama said.

He said only the employees of the institution that makes the request can travel in those buses.

"The government and private institutional department heads should keep in mind to summon employees who live within that particular province adhering to strict health guidelines, and if they need to call their staffers who travel from outside the province, the institute could make a request for adequate buses. It is not relevant how the fare for the buses would be met; it could either by the institutions or by the employees. The responsibility should be taken by the institutional heads of the department, "he said.

"The government wants to prevent people crossing from province to another and thereby to minimise the spreading of virus. But what the people do is to travel up to the provincial borders and get off and get into another bus and proceed. If the same thing happens during the current restrictions, there is no use," the State Minister said. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)