Fuel only to essential services for two weeks

• Cabinet decides CPC to supply fuel for essential services — ports, airports, health, food distribution, agriculture 
• Cabinet Co-Spokesman Bandula Gunawardena requests all other sectors to WFH 
• All schools in Colombo Zone, suburbs of Western Province and main cities of other provinces will remain closed till 10 July
• Minister Harin Fernando insists “no lockdown”

Strangled by shortages and no new shipments, the Cabinet of Ministers last night has decided to immediately supply fuel ‘only’ to essential services till 10 July.

“The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) will only issue diesel and petrol for essential services including ports, airports, health, food distribution and agriculture,” Cabinet Co-Spokesman and Minister Bandula Gunawardena said yesterday.

He said all only essential services will be allowed to function till 10 July, whilst all other operations will be temporarily suspended.

“All other sectors must prepare to work from home (WFH) again,” he added.

Minister Gunawardena called on the motorists to support limit the consumption of fuel.

He also said that all schools within Colombo Zone, suburbs of Western Province and schools located in main cities of other provinces will remain closed till 10 July, given the severe fuel shortage.

However, schools in other areas will function as per the discretion of the principals and education officials, he said.

On Sunday, the Education Ministry said it has decided not to open schools in the Colombo Zone and city schools across all provinces till 1 July due to the fuel crisis. 

Tourism and Land Minister Harin Fernando took pains to clarify that latest measures do not signal a lockdown but “work from home” until 10 July. “We hope country will return to normalcy after that,” Fernando added.