Coronavirus: Global impact sees petrol prices plummet by 11 cents since Friday

On Friday, the national price of 91 octane petrol was $2.249 per litre, meanwhile, this morning it was $2.139. Photo / File

The national average price of petrol has fallen by 11 cents in New Zealand since Friday, following global price reductions in the price of oil.

On Friday, the national price of 91 octane petrol was $2.249 per litre, meanwhile, this morning it was $2.139.

Elsewhere, the price of diesel had fallen 8 cents from $1.589 per litre to $1.509, AA Petrolwatch spokesman Mark Stockdale told the Herald.

"Yesterday, we observed a 7 cents per litre (cpl) price drop on petrol and 6cpl on diesel, and on Monday petrol fell 4cpl and diesel 2cpl."

The reductions in fuel prices had been due to a drop in demand following the outbreak of Covid-19, Stockdale said on Monday.

Since the start of 2020, the national price of petrol had fallen by 16 cents and Stockdale expected the decline would continue - it has so far.

"It's likely there'll be another drop at the pump this week … given the reductions that we've seen so far over the last couple of months," he said Monday.

More than 115,800 people had been infected with Covid-19 worldwide and over 400 had died.

There are no new confirmed or suspected cases of coronavirus in New Zealand, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said earlier today.

It's the fourth day in a row that no new cases have been announced.

All five confirmed cases are now being cared for at home. That includes the first patient diagnosed, who was discharged from Auckland City Hospital yesterday.

However, in Italy, the situation was becoming increasingly dire, with the entire country entering a lockdown.

The European country, which had at least 206 Kiwis located there on Tuesday, had more coronavirus cases than China, with 10,149 infections and 631 deaths.

New Zealanders are being advised to avoid all non-essential travel to, or in, Italy by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

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