Sri Lanka’s Cabinet has approved the appointment of a review committee to propose amendments to the country’s Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance, No. 3 of 1897, taking into account current and potential future public health challenges.
The ordinance is Sri Lanka’s primary law governing measures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and implement quarantine requirements.
The government said the significant increase in the international and domestic movement of people, goods and services has heightened the risk of infectious diseases spreading across borders.
Frequent international travel and global trade have also contributed to the rapid transmission of infectious diseases between countries.
Cabinet approval was previously granted in 2016 to amend the 1897 ordinance. However, the resulting amendment bill was not presented to Parliament.
The Cabinet has now approved a proposal by the minister of health and mass media to appoint a review committee to study the amendment bill already prepared and recommend appropriate revisions.
The review will also take into account lessons learned from epidemic situations in recent years, with the proposed amendments intended to strengthen the legal framework to address current public health challenges and those that may arise in the future. (Newswire)