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Friday Sep 20, 2024
Saturday, 9 January 2021 00:07 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Eighty-nine of 3,923 Sri Lankan expatriate workers who contracted COVID-19 while working in the Middle East had succumbed to the illness, Labour Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva told Parliament yesterday.
The deaths have occurred between March and December last year, he said.
The Minister said this in response to a question raised by NPP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Parliament.
The Minister said Sri Lankan expatriate workers who succumb to COVID-19 are entitled to Rs. 500,000 as part of their life insurance scheme if they are registered with the Foreign Employment Bureau while family members are also paid Rs. 50,000 as compensation.
He also said that 31,102 Sri Lankan workers from the Middle East had returned to the country after the outbreak of the coronavirus while there were around 70,000 Lankans awaiting repatriation from 137 countries.
“There are 69,000 Sri Lankan expatriates in 137 countries awaiting repatriation. Of these 41,451 have registered with the Sri Lankan missions while the rest have left the country illegally, overstayed their visas, etc. and also want to return,” he said.
The Ministry added that the repatriation of around 70,000 Sri Lankans who were waiting to return home would be expedited if the health authorities decided to allow home quarantine instead of the present system of sending them to quarantine centres.
He said the non-availability of quarantine facilities meant the numbers repatriated had to be restricted but the decision rested with health authorities.
SJB MP Rajitha Senaratne said that the Government could allow home quarantine for Sri Lankans who return to the country under supervision of the PHI of the area.
“Keeping Sri Lankans who return from overseas in quarantine centres is not practical. Once they return they should be allowed to go to their homes and self-isolate,” he said.
