A money exchanger counts stacks of Yemeni rials in his shop in Sanaa January 5, 2011. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

RIYADH (Reuters) - Yemen’s government ordered a temporary halt to imports of luxury goods, including automobiles, in a bid to prop up the struggling local currency, according to a statement tweeted by the information minister on Sunday.

The government, whose members are based in the southern city of Aden and the Saudi capital, Riyadh, following the 2015 takeover of Sanaa by the Houthis group, also ordered a 30 percent increase in public-sector salaries, including for pensioners and contractors.