Oman has reintroduced an overnight curfew in an attempt to tame a second wave of Covid-19 cases.
The new measures, which include the night-time closure of certain business and public areas, come just two months after the last round of restrictions ended, and will once again weigh on transport fuel demand in the country. The nationwide curfew, which runs from 20:00 at night until 05:00 in the morning, began yesterday and will last until 24 October. Only select vehicles will be allowed to move during these hours. These include emergency, medical and service transport vehicles, vehicles carrying passengers to and from the airport or trucks carrying supplies.
Businesses that were open but repeatedly failed to adhere to the conditions set by the country's national pandemic-response taskforce have been closed, while all forms of family and social gatherings, have been prohibited until further notice.
At the height of the previous lockdown in April, Oman's domestic gasoline sales fell to 31,400 b/d from 52,700 b/d in March, according to Oman's National Centre of Statistics and Information. Gasoil sales fell by around 10pc over the same period to 34,800 b/d. Transport fuel demand had recovered to near pre-pandemic levels in June, but dipped again after a new set of restrictions were imposed in late July ahead of the Islamic Eid al-Adha holiday. Those restrictions were subsequently lifted on 15 August. Domestic gasoline and gasoil consumption stood at 50,900 b/d and 34,400 b/d respectively in August, 4pc lower than in July.
The new restrictions have been imposed in response to a marked increase in the number of daily coronavirus cases being recorded, despite testing being scaled back since July. Cases averaged 660 a day last week, more than double the 321 daily average in September. Deaths as a result of Covid-19 have also accelerated, almost doubling to 1,038 on 11 October from 562 on 15 August.
