Heat wave: Argentina’s civil servants will work remotely to save energy

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Argentina ordered that government officials work remotely today and tomorrow to “reduce electricity consumption” when an extreme heatwave affects the South American country.

According to a decree published in the Official Gazette, this Thursday and Friday, starting at noon local time, is the “time from which the highest peaks of energy consumption are verified” and that the National Executive Power is obliged to contribute to mitigating the conditions in which, temporarily, the country’s inhabitants may be affected.

Read also: Check out our coverage on Argentina

The agents of all jurisdictions, agencies, and entities of the national public sector from midday this Thursday and Friday will have to work remotely. According to the regulation, they will refrain from staying or going to their workplaces.

Excluded from the measure are the federal security forces, the armed forces, the federal penitentiary service, health, national parks, migration authorities, banking institutions, and the administration of Laboratories and Health Institutes Malbrán.

The measure points out that the summer season in Argentina has reported high temperatures due to the incidence of the La Niña phenomenon, which has produced in the main urban centers of the country an extreme heatwave with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius and that the arrival of a low-pressure front has been forecast, which will increase the high temperatures.

Already this Tuesday, the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires suffered a power outage that affected some 700 thousand users due to the unhooking of a high voltage line on a day when there was a high demand for energy due to temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius.

The regulation indicates that the Government of Alberto Fernandez adopts this measure convinced that it will join the effort of various sectors of the country, which will voluntarily reduce the consumption of electric energy to help the population maintain the water and electric energy services indicates.

More: Argentina news in English, every day from The Rio Times.