President Ranil Wickramasinghe has signed an Extraordinary Gazette notification declaring services related to supply of electricity, distribution of petroleum products and health care as essential services with immediate effect, President’s Media Division said.
Extraordinary Gazette notification has been issued by the Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake, by order of the President Wednesday.
President Wickremesinghe, considering it necessary that the services provided by any state institution which is engaged in provision of the specified services, is essential to the life of the community and is likely to be impeded or interrupted, declared the services specified below to be an essential public service.
1. All services connected to the supply of electricity,
2. The supply or distribution of petroleum products and fuel,
3. All service, work or labor, of any description whatsoever, necessary or required to be done in connection with the maintenance, and the reception, care feeding, and treatment, of patients in hospitals, nursing homes, dispensaries, and other similar institutions.