Liquor Industry Happy About Extra 2 Hours to Serve Alcohol, Welcomes Lifting of Curfew
- The National Liquor Traders’ Council says the decision by the South African government to return alcohol to normal trading hours has been well received
- The NLTC says the enforcement of curfews and restriction of trading hours, as well as alcohol bans, had a dire impact on the industry
- The organisation has reminded fellow South Africans that the easing of restrictions does not mean Covid19 is over
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JOHANNESBURG - South African citizens are not the only ones rejoicing now that the restriction of movement has been lifted.
The National Liquor Traders’ Council (NLTC) says it welcomes the government's decision to lift curfew and allow the liquor industry to operate as normal.
Source: Getty Images
Following calls by many in the hospitality industry and even from political organisations such as the Democratic Alliance, the South African government finally decided on Thursday, 30 December to make a few changes to the Adjusted Alert Level 1 regulations, reports News24.
However, Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele says that the decision was not based on public pressure but on science.
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Liquor industry lost 26 trading weeks due to curfew
Lucky Ntimane, the NLTC spokesperson says the decision to remove curfew has been well received because of the losses suffered by the liquor industry, according to SABC News.
Ntimane says the curfew that was imposed by the government in the past two years as well as the five alcohol bans has resulted in the industry being unable to trade for a calculated 26 weeks.
He adds that South Africans should continue following Covid19 protocols despite restrictions being eased.
South Africans call for cheaper liquor prices
While the news of alcohol sales returning to normal has been well received by many, some South Africans took to social media to address a more pressing matter - the price of alcohol.
On Facebook, some people made the call for alcohol prices to drop. Here are some comments:
Luciano Magwabeni said:
"When this pandemic start I was broke, Now am poor end lockdown with immediate effect."
Nduduzi Shozi said:
"They also need to decrease the liquor prices we poor"
Petrus Petrus said:
"The damage has been done, nothing can change that. All the curfew and alcohol restrictions benefited those who have the upper hand.Hlungu shem"
One person gave a suggestion on how to follow Covid19 protocols
Fikile Mbambi said
"How can you do that when you're drunk? The best is to drink at home."
New Year’s Eve: Curfew lifted and new lockdown rules, how to celebrate legally
Briefly News previously reported that yesterday (30 December) the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the curfew has been lifted and new lockdown restrictions have been put in place.
In recent weeks, many different people and groups have urged Ramaphosa to lift the curfew before New Year's Eve as they do not believe that it is serving its intended purpose of curbing the spread of Covid-19.
Bheki Cele, the minister of police, made several public announcements stating that the curfew would be enforced on New Year's Eve to ensure public safety and obedience to Covid-19 protocols.
Source: Briefly News
