Sri Lanka has announced a reduction of its workweek to four days by designating Wednesday as a public holiday to conserve fuel. Meanwhile, countries across Asia are implementing austerity measures, including vehicle usage restrictions and campaigns encouraging short-sleeved shirts to reduce air conditioning costs, as the Middle East war drives oil prices sharply higher and blocks key transport routes.
The Sri Lankan government declared every "Wednesday" an official public holiday to help preserve the nation's fuel reserves amid a severe energy shortage affecting island nations, a consequence of the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated at an emergency meeting last Monday, "We must prepare for the worst-case scenario but still hope for the best."
This measure is part of an austerity policy increasingly adopted by Asian countries after the war caused the closure of the "Strait of Hormuz," a crucial shipping lane that historically transported millions of barrels of oil from the Persian Gulf to the region. Last year's statistics showed that nearly 90% of the oil and gas passing through this strait was destined for Asia, the world's largest oil-importing region.
As oil prices surged past $100 per barrel, Asian countries have had to adapt significantly. For example, Thailand's government encourages citizens to switch from wearing suits to short-sleeved shirts to reduce air conditioning use, while Myanmar has introduced alternate-day driving rules for private cars based on license plate numbers (odd-even days).
Bangladesh has advanced the start of school holidays during Ramadan and begun scheduled power cuts nationwide. The Philippines ordered some civil servants to work from home at least one day per week and banned non-essential government travel. Additionally, it provided financial aid of 3,000 to 5,000 pesos to groups such as tricycle drivers, farmers, and fishermen. Vietnam has promoted staying home more, encouraging cycling, carpooling, and using public transport instead of private vehicles.
Sri Lanka's Wednesday holiday policy also applies to schools and universities but exempts essential services such as healthcare and immigration. Authorities chose Wednesday instead of Friday to avoid consecutive three-day closures of government offices (Friday-Saturday-Sunday).
Furthermore, citizens are required to register for a National Fuel Pass to receive "rationed fuel," limiting private cars to 15 liters and motorcycles to 5 liters, a quota that has caused dissatisfaction among some who consider it insufficient.
This fuel rationing system was first implemented in 2022 during the country's worst economic crisis and was reinstated following another spike in oil prices caused by the recent Middle East conflict that began late last month.
. . .BBC