Soldiers in Sri Lanka handed over coupons on Monday to people who were queuing for petrol amid severe fuel shortages in the country experiencing its worst economic crisis in seven decades, while schools were closed in Colombo and civil servants were asked to work from home.
As Reuters reports, with foreign exchange reserves at an all-time low, the island of 22 million is struggling to pay for basic imports of food, medicine and most critically, fuel.
"I've been in line for four days, I haven't slept or eaten properly during that time," said driver W.D. Shelton, 67, one of those who received a voucher meant to reserve his place in line for whenever fuel is available.
"We can't earn a living, we can't feed our families," added Shelton, who was 24th in line at a gas station in downtown Colombo but was destined to stay there as he had no gas for the trip home, just three miles away.
The country's fuel reserves stand at about 9,000 tonnes of diesel and 6,000 tonnes of petrol, Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said on Sunday,[/B] but no new shipments are expected.
The government has told employees to work from home until further notice, while schools have been closed for a week in the commercial capital of Colombo and surrounding areas.
Queues at petrol stations have increased rapidly since last week.
Public transport, power generation and medical services will be given priority in fuel distribution.
A team from the International Monetary Fund is visiting Sri Lanka to discuss a $3 billion bailout package.
Although the Indian Ocean nation hopes to reach an agreement at the officials' level before the visit concludes Thursday, this is unlikely to unlock funds immediately.
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