Liquor traders: More booze restrictions won’t do the trick
The National Liquor Traders Council has called on government to work with business and civil society to improve Covid-19 compliance, rather than impose restrictions which they believe have limited effect.
The government has placed several bans on the sale of alcohol as a way of mitigating the spread of the virus.
There are concerns that the government might place further restrictions on the sale of alcohol as the country battles with the third wave.
The council’s Lucky Ntimane says they don’t believe harsher restrictions will not make any difference.
“Instead of talking down to people the way the government has been doing, we need to mobilise the whole of society to defeat this virus. We should heed the lessons of the HIV/Aids pandemic which taught us that communication and empowering people to make the right decisions for themselves is far more effective than trying to police their behaviour.”
Ntimane says the liquor industry has taken the initiative to ensure maximum compliance with Covid-19 safety protocols.
“This model can work in other sectors too if the government works with industry and civil society to get the message across.
“We are united in the fight against Covid-19 and we are doing everything possible to keep our customers and staff safe. No one should come to a tavern expecting to misbehave or disregard the safety protocols, we won’t accept it.”
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