Sri Lanka shuts schools and orders work from home amid fuel shortage during worst economic crisis in decades

Employees have been asked to work from home until further notice

Cash-strapped Sri Lanka has shut down schools and urged employees to work from home in an effort to save fuel as the nation continues to battle its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948.

Schools in the capital Colombo and surrounding areas have been shut for a week. The move would further impact children’s education, already disrupted for years due to Covid-19, according to non-profit Save the Children.

Employees have been asked to work from home until further notice, just days after the government reduced working days by declaring Friday a holiday and urged employees “to engage in home gardening or cultivating short-term crops” to secure their supplies.