The #COVID19 pandemic will soon begin to bite seriously into the budgets (and economic plans) of oil-producing Gulf countries. The bigger one of them has been trying to wean itself off oil, remember.
In the smaller countries in the Gulf, a majority of the population are non-citizens ("migrant workers"), most of whom are not entitled to any financial help from the government. They can't go for long without economic activity.
Also note that in many (most?) Gulf countries, most private sector employees are non-citizens, making them especially economically vulnerable in case of a recession. Public sector employees can get paid regardless.
