The Transport Ministry will deploy 5,000 buses and 400 trains for public transport services with effect from tomorrow (April 20).
The announcement came days after the Government signalled its intention to resume services, while the country continues to battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce on Thursday (April 16) called on the Government to implement a proper transport plan with the state sector to resume operations in the coming days.
Schools and universities are scheduled to re-open on May 11 while a decision on resuming state sector services is yet to be finalized.
Meanwhile, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at a meeting with Ministry secretaries at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday (April 15) discussed rebuilding the economy in the face of the current challenges. A focal point of the discussion was on returning to normalcy. To do so, the President emphasized the need for the public and private sectors to recommence their business activities. Thus the curfew needs to be eased to allow these functionalities to proceed without undue obstruction. The responsibility of ensuring that the public adhere to safety regulations and preventing large gatherings was entrusted upon Ministry secretaries and heads of institutes.