The Government has been urged to provide COVID-19 vaccines to Information Communication Technology employees on a priority basis.
According to the Daily FT, the Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka (FITIS), the apex body for the ICT industry, has called on the Government to vaccinate 20% of the staff who are frontliners in the ICT industry.
“Currently, the ICT Industry represents a workforce standing at above 100,000; 20% of the employees are in the frontline, engaging in various ICT projects in the country, all of whom are at risk of infection due to their frequent moments. If these employees are affected with the coronavirus, current digital transformation projects in both the private and public sectors will be affected, and there will be serious repercussions as a major part of the economy now depends on digital, and services will be interrupted during this critical time,” FITIS said issuing a statement.
FITIS said the IT and digital technologies have contributed to create an environment that helps the government, health, education, and consumer networks to survive the Covid pandemic.
Further, the Government has encouraged people to use more technologies, especially in the banking and education sectors, and for remote work during this period.
FITIS said thereby, technology and its functioning should not be hindered.
It further said the contribution of the industry to the GDP of Sri Lanka is forecasted to be about 6%, and FITIS urges the Government to place 20% of ICT employees next in line to receive the vaccine. (NewsWire)