Covid-19 crisis: Alcohol consumption a ‘hindrance’ to curbing spread

‘At a time when all private and public resources should be preparing to receive and treat vast numbers of Covid-19 patients’ – and given ‘proven links between the sale and consumption of alcohol and violent crime, motor vehicle accidents and other medical emergencies’ – President Cyril Ramaphosa has decided that the ban on selling alcohol will remain in force, reports Pam Saxby for Legalbrief Policy Watch.  This was announced on Friday evening in a media statement reiterating government’s ongoing commitment to ‘financially supporting businesses in distress’ during the lockdown period. With that in mind, the statement draws attention to ‘assistance provided by the Tourism Relief Fund, the Department of Small Business Development, the Unemployment Insurance Fund and private endeavours such as the South African Future Trust’. ‘These funds and institutions provide capped grant assistance to small, micro and medium enterprises, to ensure sustainability during this period, as well as support to (the) employees of these enterprises,’ it notes.

As the President’s official response to representations from the Gauteng Liquor Forum calling for an end to the ban on liquor sales (TimesLIVE), the statement notes that these were considered in the context of lockdown regulations affecting the broader business community and the importance of encouraging compliance. Other factors included the health implications of alcohol consumption; the ‘causal relationship’ between alcohol intoxication/abuse and ‘risky behaviour’; and social distancing protocols. The statement also refers to input from ‘a number of … organisations in the liquor industry’ apparently ‘rejecting’ the argument on which the forum based its request. In the President’s view, alcohol consumption is a ‘hindrance’ to efforts aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19. Government remains open to any ‘concrete, constructive’ proposal for addressing ‘the threat to life’ and ‘economic challenges’ presented by Covid-19, especially because the safety of South Africans ‘has always been and remains’ the overarching objective of all Sate of Disaster and lockdown measures.