Sri Lanka fuel crisis: state workers asked to stay home, public asked to limit travel on May 20

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe requested all non-essential public sector workers to not report to work on Friday (20) to save fuel and also asked the public to limit non-essential travel as the country goes through an unprecedented petrol shortage amid a worsening forex crisis.

“We ask only essential services workers to come into work and other state employees to stay at home on Friday (20) to save fuel,” Wickremesinghe said in parliament Thursday (19) morning.

Sri Lankans have been asked to stay off petrol queues as no petrol will be distributed till the May 21/22 weekend. But queues that have extend to over a kilometre have been reported around filling stations islandwide.

“A consignment of 37,000 MT tons of petrol came to the port today and another ship will be coming on May 20 and will bring in 30,000 MT of auto diesel and 7,000 MT of super diesel,” said Wickremesinghe.

“The ships that we need to find the money for are – the ship at bay since March 28 which has 26,000 MT of gasoline (petrol) 92 and 8,000 MT of gasoline 96. Another ship at bay since April is expected to pay money in the coming days have 37,000 MT of gasoline,” he said. (Colombo/May19/2022)