Sri Lanka announces extra holiday to save fuel

The Sri Lankan government declared Wednesday a public holiday for government agencies to conserve fuel amid possible shortages due to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz.

Almost 90% of all oil and gas flowing through the Strait of Hormuz goes to Asia.

“We must prepare for the worst but hope for the best,” President Anuru Kumara Dissanayake said at an emergency meeting with senior officials on Monday.

It should be noted that other Asian countries are also gradually taking measures to reduce fuel consumption.

In Thailand, the government is encouraging citizens to switch from business suits to short-sleeved T-shirts to reduce their dependence on air conditioning. In Myanmar, private cars can only travel every other day, depending on whether the license plate is even or odd. Bangladesh delayed the start of Ramadan at universities and introduced planned power outages across the country. In the Philippines, several government departments have required employees to work from home at least one day a week. The Vietnamese government has called on people to “ride bicycles, ride-share, use public transport” and “limit the use of private cars where it is not necessary.”