Association of Medical Specialists AMS raises concern over queuing up customers to buy liquor recently violating travel restrictions and social distancing. AMS urge authorities to take all the possible measures to minimize human to human contact during this critical period. Also they urge the government to introduce a safer mechanism to enable consumers to purchase what they wish, without endangering lives of the entire nation.
Sri Lanka just started to witness a downward trend of this deadly disease but these gatherings will lead to HUMAN to HUMAN contact and create another cluster.
Whither gatherings – A must to control this deadly pandemic.
We have witnessed large number of consumers impatiently queuing up to buy liquor yesterday, violating all the travel restrictions and social distancing rules imposed by the government to control this deadly delta dominant COVID 19 pandemic. We do appreciate the dire need of the government to collect revenue to state coffers to meet ends. At the same time, we are not ignorant of the rights of legitimate dealers and consumers of the trade, although the ill effects of alcohol consumption are well documented.
However, as a professional organization we feel that it is our prime duty to foresee any impending threats at this crucial juncture where we have just started to witness a downward trend of this deadly disease. We feel that any gatherings of this nature leading to HUMAN to HUMAN contact will act as a focus of another cluster.
These gatherings do remind us the very way people started behaving to collect infamous tonic “Peniya” introduced by a quack. While cautioning the government of the possible hazards that could be created by such gatherings, we urge the government to introduce a safer mechanism to enable consumers to purchase what they wish, without endangering lives of the entire nation.
Finally, we urge authorities to take all the possible measures to minimize human to human contact during this critical period as we don’t want to loose any gains we achieved so far with all the sacrifices of the entire nation.
