United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe suspects the current lockdown will not be lifted on 1st October.
Speaking during a panel discussion organised by the International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka, MP Ranil Wickremesinghe raised concerns that the lockdown will not be lifted on Oct. 1 due to reports that there was a delay in purchasing diesel supplies for the domestic market.
Former PM suggested that the re-opening of the country could be delayed till mid-October.
In responding to the issue of debt management in Sri Lanka, UNP leader said that the most pressing concern is addressing the dwindling foreign exchange reserves in the country.
He explained that the regional foreign exchange reserves are projected to increase over the course of the year, however, Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange reserves are on a downward trend.
He also said that economic recovery based on a resurgence of the tourism industry will lead to uncertainty, until airline ticket prices are reduced it is unlikely our tourist numbers will recover as Sri Lanka is a budget tourism market. (NewsWire)