Photo: Pixabay
Photo: Pixabay
There will be at least a few drinkers in South Africa who have taken to carving their tally of days without alcohol into the wall. The second alcohol ban of lockdown was implemented in a flash last week, leaving many to ponder when they would see their beloved booze again. Well, how does seven weeks sound?
How many more weeks will the alcohol ban last for?
The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) has released more data on its recommendations for the government. It has been revealed that the group favours the earliest possible interventions when it comes to instituting any bans or restrictions on liquor. This message obviously struck a chord with Cyril Ramaphosa.
Little over an hour after the president had announced the return of the alcohol ban, the rules had been gazetted and made law. According to an article posted on MoneyWeb, some hospital units saw trauma submissions drop by 83% during the first era of prohibition – but millions of jobs within the liquor industry are also on the line, meaning that Cabinet cannot demonise the drink forever.
When will the alcohol ban end in South Africa?
The SAMRC believes that an eight-week implementation of the alcohol ban is the best way to help reduce additional hospital patients, as South Africa battles with the peak of the virus. COVID-19 is expected to hit its heights on these shores during August, and health minister Zweli Mkhize says SA is currently gripped by a surge in cases. But, if the government continues to heed the advice of the Council, it’s worth noting:
- We are already one week into the recommended eight-week alcohol ban
- That means South Africa could be seven weeks – and about 49 days – away from having booze back on the shelves again.
- The alcohol ban is likely to be lifted on a Monday morning, to minimise any potential ‘free-for-alls’ at our bottle stores.
- Initially banned on Sunday 12 July, the provisional timetable could put liquor back on sale by Monday 7 September.
When booze returns, things may change…
Of course, this is all still up in the air. Ramaphosa and his colleagues in Cabinet may choose to lift the alcohol ban earlier, or even extend it further. Should these current restrictions last for eight weeks, it will fall about two weeks short of the initial ban. That lasted for 70 days during Level 4 and Level 5 of lockdown.
The SAMRC has also suggested that the future of boozing could be very different once the pandemic winds down: A higher legal drinking age and a complete overhaul in the way alcohol is advertised would look to challenge a drinking culture in South Africa that many have decried as ‘unhealthy’.
To borrow a famous saying from President Ramaphosa himself: “Watch this space…”
