The US government may be ordering staff back to the office, but governments across Asia have sent public sector workers back home to preserve fuel supplies due to supply chain disruptions caused by the war in Iran.
Most Asian nations rely on imported oil – even big producers like Indonesia and Malaysia. The war in Iran, which has closed the Straits of Hormuz and disrupted oil exports from Gulf states, has therefore created fuel shortages across the region.
Several governments have responded with fuel-saving measures.
Thailand’s government yesterday told public sector employees not involved in frontline service delivery to work from home, insisted that air conditioners be set to 26°C, and encouraged workers to use stairs instead of lifts.
The government of the Philippines has ordered that public sector employees attend the office only four days a week, and that agencies make that happen by either declaring a common work-from-home day or by compressing the work week into four days.
Other measures include a move to virtual meetings whenever possible, setting office aircon to 24°C, and using optimized routes for any necessary travel. A memorandum [PDF] cites “an urgent need to adopt strict energy conservation measures, to further reduce the energy footprint of government operations and optimize the use of public resources.”
In Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif yesterday addressed the nation and announced measures including mandatory work from home for half of government sector workers, and strongly suggested the private sector do likewise. The PM also told universities and other higher education institutions to shift classes online.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has urged all citizens to work remotely if possible and to ride bicycles instead of using powered vehicles.
The nations mentioned above all ordered workers home during the COVID-19 pandemic, so have experience with large-scale remote work. Perhaps they still have the infrastructure to make it happen, too.
Whether that infrastructure will keep operating is another matter. The Register has seen reports of some governments across Asia warning that fuel shortages could disrupt electricity supply. Datacenter operators prepare for such incidents by installing diesel generators, but few store more than a few days’ worth of fuel. ®
Source: The register