Alcohol ban latest: ‘Further restrictions’ on booze likely to be announced

The government is allegedly on course to limit the sale of liquor once more, and a full ‘alcohol ban’ is up for discussion on Sunday. The extent of booze restrictions has not yet been established, but it’s understood that there is a real chance that bottle stores, bars, and all other traders in the industry will all be hit by a devastating clampdown.

Will there be another alcohol ban for South Africa?

Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation at 20:00 on Sunday evening – and this is one family meeting that promises to be a sombre affair. The president is forecast to issue tougher lockdown restrictions of South Africa, with a potential move to Level 4 on the cards. The Delta variant of COVID-19 is causing absolute havoc in some parts of the country.

Gauteng, in particular, is at the mercy of this mutation. Record-breaking hospitalisations and new case numbers have put the province’s health services on the brink of being overwhelmed. That’s why the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) is also discussing the possibility of ‘localised restrictions’ for the region.

Gauteng ‘may get its own lockdown laws’

A large majority of new infections are coming from Gauteng. This is likely to spread to other provinces in the coming days, as the surge of Delta cases takes hold. The province could end up with its own adjusted lockdown guidance, separate to the rest of the country – and a Gauteng-only alcohol ban has not been ruled out at this stage.

However, according to a report in the Sunday Times, the Cabinet was left ‘shocked’ by the data they were presented with on Saturday. The drastic figures created something of a scramble for the NCCC and President Ramaphosa, as top officials continue to work furiously to amend lockdown regulations.

An alcohol ban usually proves to be unpopular, but prohibition does seem to help alleviate the pressure on hospital trauma wards. South Africans could be left high and dry if another ban is announced tonight, given that liquor stores have been closed since 18:00 on Thursday.

Curbs on inter-provincial travel and group gatherings are, reportedly, in the pipeline too.