Sri Lanka has implemented a four-day workweek starting March 18, with every Wednesday declared a public holiday, in a bid to ease potential fuel shortages linked to the war in West Asia.
“We must prepare for the worst, but hope for the best,” President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said during an emergency meeting with senior officials on Monday, according to BBC.
The directive, announced by Commissioner General of Essential Services Prabath Chandrakeerthi, applies to government offices, schools, universities and the judiciary. It excludes critical sectors such as health, ports, water supply and customs.
Authorities expect the private sector to adopt similar measures to cut fuel consumption.
The move follows renewed fuel rationing and price increases aimed at curbing hoarding. Under the system, cars are limited to 15 litres and motorcycles to five litres weekly, enforced through a QR code system reintroduced on March 15.
These measures mirror the 2022 economic crisis, with long queues re-emerging as global crude prices surge amid the Gulf conflict.
The restrictions have sparked discontent among some Sri Lankans, who say the quotas are too low. The rationing system was first introduced in 2022 during the country’s worst economic crisis, when it ran out of foreign reserves and struggled to import essential goods, including fuel.
The US-Israel conflict with Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for about one-fifth of global oil shipments, triggering a major supply disruption. Iranian strikes and heightened security risks have halted tanker movements, forcing Gulf producers to cut output. The supply crunch has pushed governments, including Sri Lanka, to adopt emergency conservation measures.
Elsewhere in Asia, authorities are rolling out austerity measures. In Bangladesh, officials have brought forward Ramadan holidays in universities and introduced planned nationwide blackouts to conserve energy. In Myanmar, private vehicles are allowed on the roads on alternate days based on licence plate numbers.