Kuwait will re-introduce a night-time curfew for one month starting from today, and extend the existing ban on entry for non-Kuwaitis "until further notice" in response to the most dramatic surge in Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic early last year.
This tightening of restrictions will likely weigh on transport fuel demand, particularly for jet fuel, which has been hit hardest by the pandemic.
The night time curfew will last daily from 17:00 to 05:00, and continue through 8 April. During the curfew hours people will only be allowed to go to mosques for prayer, and only on foot, while pharmacies, shops and supermarkets will only be permitted to operate through delivery services.
But even outside curfew hours, in-house dining in restaurants or cafes will continue to be banned, while public spaces like parks remain closed.
The tightening of measures comes after the number of Covid-19 infection cases in Kuwait rose to a new single-day record of 1,716 on 4 March. Kuwait registered an average of 1,429 new cases in the first six days of the month, up sharply from 914 cases in February and 473 in January.
This gradual increase since the start of the year saw Kuwait first take the decision to restrict entry for non-citizens on 7 February for an initial period of two weeks. This was amended soon after [to last "until further notice "](https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2189085) to reflect the worsening situation. And although it changed policy again just days later to say that the ban would last until 20 March, it has once again scrapped this deadline altogether. Kuwait's Directorate General of Civil Aviation announced on 4 March the ban would hold "until further notice."
These repeated changes come after Kuwait announced in late January that it would be postponing its transition into the second phase of its three phase plan to gradually resume passenger flights to and from Kuwait's international airport. This is sure to keep demand for jet fuel subdued.
Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, the authorities have announced a relaxation of their own Covid-19 mitigation measures. From today, Saudi Arabia will lift restrictions it had in place on entertainment and in-restaurant dining since 4 February. But limits on social gatherings will remain.
