Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced Saturday, 28 March, a sweeping package of energy conservation measures, including a nationwide partially remote work mandate, as Egypt moves to manage an economic strain he described as unprecedented in scope. Speaking at a news conference following an inspection tour of the Al-Obour market on the outskirts of Cairo, Madbouly said all government institutions, with the exception of service and production sectors, would shift to one day of remote work per week beginning the first Sunday of April, for an initial period of one month. Only schools, universities, factories, and hospitals are exempted. Should the measure prove effective, a second remote workday could be added, he indicated. The Prime Minister outlined two additional steps to curb energy consumption. First, the government will fully suspend work on large state infrastructure projects that are heavy consumers of diesel and gasoline for a minimum of two months, with ministries directed to audit their project portfolios accordingly. Second, all government vehicles will face an immediate 30 percent cut to their fuel and energy allocations. On the question of commodity supplies, the prime minister sought to project calm, saying that…
