The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) announced on Tuesday that the official working hours during the month of Ramadan shall not exceed five hours. The office hours would start at 10:00 in the morning and end at 3:00 in the afternoon, throughout the days of the holy month. The ministry affirmed that the executive regulations for human resources in the civil service stipulated that working hours in the holy month of Ramadan should not exceed five hours, while giving ministers and those in similar positions the authority to make a change in the starting and ending times of official working hours, not exceeding two hours from what was stated in the regulation. The regulations stipulated that this authority was given so that government agencies would have flexibility in determining the start of working hours according to work requirements as well as taking into account peak hours and traffic congestion times. The executive regulations emphasize the fact that the entity that makes such adjustments is obligated to inform its employees about the working hours and their starting and ending times before Sha’ban 27, corresponding to March 19.