Sri Lanka, which is currently witnessing one of its worst economic crises, on Monday, 27 June, announced that it was suspending the sale of fuel for non-essential services for two weeks till 10 July.
Stating that the country has run out of fuel, the island nation requested both private and public sector employees to work from home.
"From midnight today, no fuel will be sold except for essential services like the health sector, because we want to conserve the little reserves we have," Sri Lankan government spokesperson Bandula Gunawardana said, according to AFP.
Schools across the country will reportedly be closed during this period.
Sri Lanka's Crippling Fuel Shortage
Recently, at least two people died in Sri Lanka while standing in queue for hours together to buy fuel.
The country, home to around 22 million people, is currently facing its worst economic crisis in more than 70 years. Sri Lanka's economy is experiencing extreme fuel shortages, soaring food prices, and a lack of medicines.
The current shortages were made worse by the government's inability to get the state-owned Bank of Ceylon to open Letters of Credit for fuel imports.
In response to the fuel shortages and the resultant commuting difficulties, public sector employees were allowed to treat Fridays as holidays starting from 17 June, the Public Administration Ministry said in a circular. This rule will be in force for the next three months.
The country is witnessing long queues for refuelling at filling stations as the government finds it difficult to finance fuel imports to retain reserves that are adequate for a minimum of three months. A move to ration fuel is to be implemented from next month as the foreign exchange crisis in the country gets worse.
(With inputs from AFP, NDTV, and PTI.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)