In the wake of fuel crisis in Sri Lanka, the government has announced a shut down of public sector offices from next week.The cardiac surgeons and cardiac anesthesiologists at national hospitals have claimed that they have decided to curtail several operations from Monday because of the deficiency of drugs and consumables and the fuel adversities.
The Education Ministry of the country has asked teachers in all government and government-recognised private schools in the Colombo city limits to conduct online classes from next week due to prolonged power cuts. Sri Lanka is facing an immense pressure to get foreign exchange to pay for its imports, which has brought several sectors of the nation’s economy to a grinding halt.
Immediate protests have been reported at filling stations around the country where consumers have been waiting in long serpentine queues for fuel for hours. The circular issued by the Public Administration and Home Affairs reads, “Taking into consideration the server limits on fuel supply, the weak public transport system and the difficulty in using private vehicles this circular allows minimal staff to report to work from Monday.”
For the past several months now, the Island nation is facing power cuts for upto 13 hours in a day. The country’s total foreign debt stands at USD 51 billion.