Sri Lanka imposed a total lockdown on March 22nd to counter the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak. Whilst the government has now announced an easing of the curfew to allow a public and private sector return to work, they have urged people to adhere to all anti-virus guidelines to ensure the curve stays flat. Dr. Anil Jasingha, director general of health services emphasized this, saying
The spread of the coronavirus has now been brought under control to a great extent. The public needs to adhere to the strict health safety guidelines to ensure the systematic eradication of the deadly disease from Sri Lanka.
The Ministry of Health has issued operational guidelines to provide interim guidance, which include guidance on measures to be adopted in public transport. These measures apply to all public transports including trains.
Before commencement of the trip
- Vehicle interior including entry points
should be disinfected before starting each
trip. - Driver, conductor / helper / all train station
staff and all the passengers should wear
face masks. - Keep one meter distance between the
passengers and limit the number of
passengers to 50% of the seating capacity.
Taxi service motor cars and three-wheelers
should carry maximum of 2 passengers. - Minimize the handling of cash and
encourage passengers to bring the exact
amount for the fare. - Hand sanitizer / alcohol rub can be fixed at
the entry point of the vehicle / bus stand
/ railway station to sanitize the hands
of passengers during the entry to the
transport. - All passenger contact points in train
stations should be disinfected daily. - Instructions shall apply to
office environment and section on service
counters to ticket counters.
During Travel
- Provide adequate time to get in to the
vehicle and get down from it in order to
practice non touch technique inside the
vehicle / during the travel. - One identified door should be used for
loading passengers. - Health promotional messages and
recommended behavior should be
transmitted through the public address
system inside the vehicle.
This is an example of a government response from Sri Lanka which we are sharing as part of our global best practice resource to help you think about and determine appropriate responses locally.
