President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that the sale of alcohol will continue to be prohibited under the extension of the adjusted Level three of the lockdown.
Ramaphosa made the announcement in an address to the nation on Monday night.
He also announced that land ports of entry into the country would be closed, including Beitbridge.
The curfew will now run from 9PM in the evening until 5AM in the morning.
Most gatherings remain prohibited, except for funerals of less than 50 people.
Ramaphosa says the alcohol ban is intended to fight the spread of the coronavirus in the country.
“The sale of alcohol from retail outlets and insight consumption of alcohol is still not permitted. Health services in several parts of the country reported that the prohibition of alcohol sales had significantly reduced the number of trauma cases seen on our hospitals over the year period.”
No trauma patient
The President says since the alcohol ban last month, Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital confirmed that it has not had trauma patients coming in on 1 January, a first in the hospital’s history.
The state of @ChrisHaniBara Hospital on New Year’s Eve. A rare sight at the facility. The relief from trauma cases is much needed for healthworkers and the system. pic.twitter.com/IHmAsiXO6i
— Kwara Kekana (@KwaraKekana) January 1, 2021
Below is President Cyril Ramaphosa’s full address:
New restrictions
Last month, the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance (Saapa) called for new restrictions on access to alcohol.
Saapa Director Maurice Smithers says the ban on alcohol has a negative impact on the economy:
