Modi not alone ::::: Covid-19 pandemic and current global oil crisis have forced many countries to act tough :::: Sri Lanka declared a public holiday every Wednesday, In Pakistan schools are shut ::::

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not alone who has spotted a similarity between the Covid-19 pandemic and the current global oil crisis.

Even China - which is thought to have reserves equivalent to three months of imports - is making adjustments, limiting a fuel price hike as citizens are faced with a 20% jump in price.

South Korea launched a public campaign asking people to cut shower time, charge phones during the day and run vacuums on weekends.

Sri Lanka declared a public holiday every Wednesday to help make its fuel supplies go further.  

"I think it is a good idea," South Korean energy minister Kim Sung-whan said on Tuesday when asked about an International Energy Agency (IEA) recommendation for people to work from home.  

The IEA, which agreed a record release of around 400 million barrels of oil from strategic stockpiles to deal with the crisis, has outlined proposals to ease oil price pressures such as working from home and avoiding air travel.

IEA executive director Fatih Birol repeated those calls at a conference in Sydney this week. 

"There were real-life tests, such as after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, European countries adopted these measures, and it was announced by the European governments. It helped them a lot to go through these difficult times without Russian energy ... but keeping the lights on". 

Singapore, an Asian financial hub, urged people and businesses to switch to energy-efficient appliances, use electric vehicles and set the temperature higher on their air conditioners.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered bureaucrats to suspend overseas trips, set air conditioning temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius, avoid suits and ties, use stairs instead of elevators, and work from home.

The Philippines, which relies heavily on Middle Eastern oil for its energy needs, shortened the work week in some government offices earlier this month. President Ferdinand Marcos declared a state of national energy emergency saying the conflict poses an "imminent danger" to the country's energy supply.

South Korea launched a public campaign asking people to cut shower time, charge phones during the day and run vacuums on weekends.

Pakistan closed schools for two weeks and said office workers would work more from home.

Fishermen and farmers are also struggling with high fuel costs. 

Several vegetable farmers in some countries have already been forced to stop planting. 

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