Covid-19: Alcohol and cigarette bans are here for a while yet, says government
The ban, according to the posters will also have an impact on reducing the burden on primary care and private facilities.
UPDATE: Government’s tweet on smokes and booze ban for ‘rest of lockdown’ not true, says government tweet
The South African Government confirmed in a Tweet earlier today that its intention was to keep the alcohol and cigarette ban in place until the end of the lockdown period.
According to the Tweet, the purpose of the ban is to save lives and protect the health and well-being of the South African people.
https://twitter.com/GovernmentZA/status/1285879006420762624?s=20
The Tweet included two posters with the title ‘The Data behind the Alcohol Ban’ which stated that by limiting alcohol-related hospital visits and admissions, exposure to, and transmission of Covid-19 would be limited.
The ban, according to the posters will also have an impact on reducing the burden on primary care and private facilities.
Fita
The Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association (Fita) expressed concern over the statements. Fita represents 80 percent of legitimate and licensed cigarette manufacturers in Southern Africa. The organisation has urged government to immediately clarify the statement.
A statement posted on Fita’s Facebook page reads as follows:
“This statement contradicts government’s previous position on this issue, with inter alia President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister Jackson Mthembu both stating on a number of occasions publicly that it was only a matter of time before the ban on the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products was lifted.
“Mthembu stated at a press briefing on 29 May 2020 that “The ban on cigarettes, it’s just at this level we are in. We don’t know how many weeks we will be at this level. I can assure you after we’ve been out of level 3, I don’t see the ban on the sale of cigarettes continuing,”.
“The statement issued today by government creates the impression that government has no intention of lifting the ban on the sale of cigarettes under any level during the lockdown period.
“That position of course will have severe consequences for the fiscus, the industry as a whole, and all those who make a living from the industry.”
This while the #jobssavelives movement took to the streets across the country today to protest certain lockdown restrictions, including the prohibition on the sale of alcohol, stating that hundreds of thousands of jobs have already been lost.
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