Spike in COVID-19 cases: Not the time to play blame game, says EDB Chief
Export Development Board (EDB) Chairman Prabhash Subasinghe yesterday asserted it is unethical to point fingers at companies and individuals for the jump in COVID-19 positive cases as it is not one segment, but the entire society that must take responsibility.
Speaking to Mirror Business on the ongoing stigmatisation of apparel giant Brandix and its employees, EDB Chairman Prabhash Subasinghe said
the country is in the current situation due to the entire nation having let their guard down.
FAAMA urges public to be “respectful”
As apparel giant Brandix continues to come under harsh criticism for having COVID-19 positive cases among its staffers, leading to a spike in the number of infected persons in the country, the Fabric and Apparel Accessory Manufactures’ Association (FAAMA) urged the public to be “respectful” during the ongoing crisis.
“No exporter manufactured the virus; we as a country let our guard down. This is not the time to be pointing blame at companies,” Subasinghe told Mirror Business. “Stigmatising the infected persons is completely wrong. We should not go by the company names and individuals. Nowhere in the world are the names of companies mentioned,” he added.
Subasinghe pointed out the single reason for Sri Lanka to be successful in exports over the last few months was due to the effective COVID-19 control efforts taken by the government.
The consequences faced today are due to the general public not being strict enough in adhering to the controls in place, he reiterated.
Further, the EDB chief stressed that all factories and production sites followed the guidelines imposed by the Ministry of Health (MOH) which were monitored by the PHIS.
While stating that the PHIS were in regular contact with factories, Subasinghe noted that the health officials are responsible to reach out to companies and make sure the guidelines were followed. (SAA)