<article><p class="lead">The Omani authorities have imposed a three-week lockdown on Dhofar, the sultanate's biggest governorate, and a number of provinces in central and northern Oman in response to a rise in new Covid-19 cases. </p><p>Dhofar governorate was put under lockdown on 13 June, and will remain so until at least 3 July, according to the Royal Oman Police. During the lockdown nobody will be allowed to enter or exit the area.</p><p>Over the same period, Duqm province in al-Wusta governorate, Masirah Island just off Oman's Arabian Sea coast, and touristic hotspots Jabal Akhdar and Jabal Shams in Ad Dakhiliyah governorate will also be put under lockdown. </p><p>The announcement came around two weeks after the authorities announced <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2108863">the lifting of the lockdown on Muscat governorate</a> that had been in place since 10 April. Mutrah, the port district worst hit by the Covid-19 pandemic in Muscat governorate, is being opened up in phases since coming out of lockdown earlier this month. Only a limited number of areas in Mutrah, like Hamriyah, Wadi Kabeer and Mutrah Souq remain closed. </p><p>The new measures coincided with a marked increase in new daily Covid-19 cases since late last week. Oman recorded more than 1,000 cases for four consecutive days from 11 June, reaching a peak of 1,404 today. This is up from an average of 764 cases per day in the week preceding 11 June. To date, a total of 23,481 have been infected by Covid-19 in Oman, with 104 fatalities. The health ministry put the rise in cases down to "a lack of commitment" to safety measures and policies that were issued by the government. </p><p>These kinds of restrictions on movement have had a heavy impact on transport fuel demand in the country. </p><p>According to latest data from Oman's National Center of Statistics and Information (NCSI), at the height of such measures in April, domestic 95R gasoline sales in Oman fell to 17,200 b/d, down 43pc from around 30,200 b/d in March. Gasoil sales suffered a smaller hit, falling by some 10pc to 34,800 b/d in April, from 38,700 b/d in March.</p><p class="bylines">By Ieva Paldaviciute</p></article>
