Infectious Diseases Specialist at Frere Hospital in the Eastern Cape, Dr David Stead, has expressed concern that the continued on-site consumption of alcohol over the upcoming Easter long weekend may lead to a rise in coronavirus infections over the coming weeks.
President Cyril Ramaphosa last night announced that the sale of alcohol for off-site consumption is prohibited from this Friday to next Monday but alcohol will still be sold for onsite consumption at restaurants, bars and taverns.
In the video below, President Ramaphosa announced that the country will remain under Level 1:
Stead says with the increase in the number of gatherings to 250 people for indoor meetings and 500 for outdoor gatherings, South Africans and more importantly, church leaders must ensure adherence to the health and safety regulations.
“He has actually relaxed the numbers for gatherings and religious gatherings and that is a potential risk. As long as they follow precautions I think that’s the key thing. So it really comes down to individuals taking responsibility, individual church leaders following protocols.”
Stead adds: “I’m concerned about on-site alcohol consumption. From the hospital perspective, there is no doubt that when people are drinking they [are] not social distancing. Their masks are off. Pubs and shebeens are probably the places where social distancing happens the least. We are concerned that its likely that alcohol is going to be flowing fairly freely during Easter and that we may see a couple of weeks later COVID-19 numbers increasing.”
Below is Stead’s full interview:
