Page 53 - Management Digest Udyama Vol 1 Isuue 2
P. 53

New FM takes control, but       Accelerated Vaccination Drive:  health staff and armed forces Sri
            economic woes reduce overall                                   Lanka managed to implement
            policy stability:               Though the Government          an accelerated vaccination drive
                                            implemented lockdowns from     by Jul 2021 with the support
            SLPP brings in President’s      time to time in order to control the  of 24-hour vaccination centres.
            brother, Basil Rajapaksa as     spread, from April 2021 onwards   Accelerated vaccination drive on
            New Finance Minister for the    a higher concentration was placed   certain days saw over 500,000
            Government at a critical juncture   to order the required number of   doses been administered bringing
            where the Govt is struggling    vaccine and to fully implement a   Sri Lanka among the countries
            economically to raise revenue.   vaccination drive. Though it took   that have implemented one
            A number of decisions and fiscal   a bit of time to implement the   of the fastest vaccination
            issues in the Govt is creating a   program, with the support of the  programs.
            politically unpopular climate for
            the Govt, questioning the overall
            policy stability. A couple of issues
            that were critical were the delay in
            importing vaccines, fertilizer ban,
            teacher salaries. The gravity of the
            policy instability forced the Govt
            into a cabinet reshuffle which may  Chart: Vaccination reaching near 60% of population
            not have solved the unpopularity.

            LOOMING
            UNCERTAINTIES HIT
            ECONOMY: HIGH RISK
            (Downgraded)


            4 Wave hits the island nation:
             th
            Sri Lanka is currently facing the
            4th Wave of Covid-19 with the
            daily number of new positive
            cases exceeding 5,000 on certain
            days. Hospitals and Intermittent
            Centres are overflowing with
            patients. The country went
            through the 1st wave in Apr-Jun
            2020 period while the 2  and 3
                                       rd
                                nd
            waves were in Nov 2020-Mar
            2021 and May 2021-Jul 2021.
            However, the 4  wave started
                         th
            in Aug 2021 even before the     Fully Vaccinating Population:
            completion of the 3  wave. The
                             rd
            4  wave has hit country badly   As at 8  Sep, the vaccination   vaccinated at their houses itself
                                                  th
             th
            with a massive spread in the    has reached near 60% of the    through a mobile vaccination
            Delta variant of the virus. Due   population who have at least   campaign. The country has
            to the Delta variant of Covid-19   received one dose of the vaccine   commenced vaccinating 20-30
            has been spreading at an ultra-  while over 40% has reached    age group, where over 40% has
            fast pace resulting Sri Lanka   both doses. In relation to the   been vaccinated with the 1  dose.
                                                                                                  st
            being one of the highest in terms   30+ population, Sri Lanka has   In the final phase, Sri Lanka plans
            of daily new cases per million   vaccinated 100% of the 30+    to vaccinate the 12-20 population
            among the regional peers. With   population with 1 dose, while   as well. With this vaccination
            the spread the death toll surged   over 80% is vaccinated with both   drive, it is planned to fully
            with over 200 deaths on a daily   doses. The elderly population who  open up the economy by the
            basis.                          were not able to travel were   4Q2021.



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