Claiming that the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus is fast spreading, and if people are infected they would not be able to work and contribute to the economy, United National Party (UNP) leader and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the Government needs to focus more on controlling the Omicron outbreak to stop further deterioration of the economy. He made this statement during a media brief yesterday (23). "The healthcare sector has worked extremely hard to control the pandemic, but we must see how Europe is struggling with the Omicron variant of the covid-19 virus. Over 50% of the population is infected with the Omicron variant, and people are unable to work. Omicron is highly contagious, but the death rate is comparatively low. If a person falls sick, they are unable to work for a while and this will be a hit on the economy," said Wickremesinghe. He further requested the Government to inform the citizens of the dangers of the new variant and the safety measures that are in place to control the outbreak. "There is a great need to ensure everyone receives the booster dose of the anti-covid vaccine. This is vital to control the outbreak as well. People need to be informed well so that they know how to protect themselves. Only if the people are kept aware will they take measures to keep themselves safe and we can bring this pandemic to an end," he concluded.