Cele backtracks on closing all liquor outlets, restauants at 6pm
“You can do this at your father’s house but not at these places.”
Government gazetted that all establishments that sell alcohol will have to close at 6pm each day, and at 1pm on Sundays and public holidays. They can only open again at 9am.
Establishment management and owners cried out on Wednesday that they would not survive if they could not even serve food or non-alcoholic beverages after 6pm. They argued it could potentially put hundreds of thousands of people out of work overnight.
Cele has now said that what the police would enforce was that alcohol could not be purchased or served in these public places after the set times. Alcohol could only be consumed privately, at home after the restricted time.
He clarified that the restriction would also apply to Saturdays at 1pm.
“You can do this at your father’s house but not at these places.”
Liquor stores will have to keep the same hours. The have come into effect as part of the Disaster Management Act.
On Wednesday it was announced that restaurants and hotels, and all pubs, bars, clubs, taverns and shebeens will be affected, and they were barred from having more than 50 patrons at a time, or be shut down.
The granting of liquor licences was halted too for events.
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