COLOMBO – Operations at Colombo Port will be steadily brought back to normal over the week with extra staff brought in after a about 30% of the container terminal workers were placed in quarantine, Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman, Gen. (Rtd) P. Daya Ratnayake said.
In a statement issued on Sunday (15), he said SLPA had to quarantine about 30% of the staff of Jaye Container Terminal at their homes after a number of SLPA and other container terminal staff contracted COVID-19.
“It affected operations at the port to some degree,” Ratnayake said, adding that due to lack of skilled staff they had brought in staff from manpower agencies and also recruited extra workers.
“As a result operations are gradually coming back to normal,” he assured.
Reports said with some gantry crane operators, who do a highly skilled job, having fallen sick or been quarantined, port operations had slowed, resulting in ships queuing up to enter the port.
A Sinhala language weekend paper said about 200 staff were under quarantine and retired staff had also been brought back.
Meanwhile General Ratnayake said all staff confirmed with COVID-19 have been admitted to hospital and their contacts have been traced.
In addition, more random tests are being carried out to detect possible infections in others, he said.
The anti-COVID-19 task force has place several parts of the Colombo, including the ports area, under isolation to stop the spread of COVID-19. Areas around the port are among the most badly hit locales in Colombo.
-economynext.com