Keep your gas tank full, if possible.BREAKING: Saudi Arabia puts Qatif in Eastern Province on lockdown due to coronavirus - SPA
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Saudi government announcement:
- Entry and exit from Qatif is suspended
- Residents who live in the area are allowed to return home
- Government departments and non-essential businesses in the area are closed
Qatifi people work in the oil industry and they commute by car and bus. A lockdown at Qatif causes global disruption in the petroleum distribution chain at the source, not just in delivery to manufacturers and to us, the individual end-users:
Qatif - Wikipedia
"... Saudi Aramco (the Saudi national oil company) completed the development of the Qatif Project in October 2004, comprising facilities to produce, process and transport 80,000 cubic metres per day (500,000 bbl/d) of blended Arabian light crude oil from the Qatif field and 48,000 m3/d (300,000 bbl/d) of Arabian medium crude oil from the offshore Abu Sa'fah field (total 130,000 m3/d (800,000 bbl/d)), plus 10 million cubic metres per day (370×106 cu ft/d) of associated gas.[17]
Qatifi people are likely to work in the oil industry (Saudi Aramco, Schlumberger, Halliburton and Baker Hughes). Some of the employees have moved to Dhahran, where these companies are located, but the majority still reside in Qatif and go to Dhahran by cars or Saudi Aramco buses in about 50 minutes' journey. Others work in Aramco refineries in Ras Tanura. and others work in the petrochemical companies in Jubail (80 km from Qatif), some go everyday and some have moved to Jubail. SABIC is the largest employer in Qatif, However, some Qatifi are also working in other oil, petrochemical, and engineering companies located in Dhahran, Khobar, Dammam, Ras Tanura, or Jubail. Some of Qatifi people work in public services, health care and education. ..."