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The Democratic Alliance (DA) has warned that new restrictions on the sale of alcohol in coronavirus hot spots could have a serious impact on parts of the economy.
This comes after the government’s National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) met Tuesday to discuss localized closures in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape.
The district attorney said he is considering stopping the sale of alcohol from Monday to Thursday in so-called ‘hotspots’, as well as recommending that hospitality establishments such as restaurants and bars stop serving food and alcohol at 9:00 p.m.
“These two recommendations will be devastating for our economy, as well as for thousands of restaurants in South Africa that have only just begun to recover after a prolonged closure.
“These are also not sustainable solutions going forward, as companies cannot take a ‘stop / start’ approach into account whenever there is a wave of Covid-19,” said Dean Macpherson, who heads Trade an Industry at the GIVES.
Instead, he said, the government should ensure current laws, including alcohol-related behavior changes, are followed.
This is what SAPS and the metro police should do on a daily basis, yet the government wants to punish restaurants for their police failures, he said.
The opposition party said South Africans are also about to embark on the December holiday and will inject much-needed money into local economies across the country.
“That is if they are sure they can still have fun. If they are forced to leave a restaurant at 9:00 PM or told to go to bed before 10:00 PM, they may very well reconsider spending their hard-earned money, which would be devastating.
“While we are not unaware of the stress to which the health system is subjected, this is exclusively due to the creation of the national government, which has failed spectacularly since March 26, 2020 to develop meaningful health care capacity. .
“If this capability existed, as we were told was the reason for the initial shutdown, then we wouldn’t have this conversation in the first place.”
Legal threat
The Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA) has threatened legal action on the proposed restrictions, indicating that the government did not consult sufficiently with the sector.
RASA CEO Wendy Alberts said the country’s restaurants would be badly hit by a shutdown as the country enters the holiday season.
He said the government has not consulted with the industry on its plans to reintroduce more restrictions.
“We are certainly going to challenge any restrictions that have been placed on the restaurant industry.
“We want all restaurants to inform us if any authority has contacted them in the last month to inform them that there is Covid-19 in their establishment.”
Read: Cape Town plans to introduce its own local coronavirus restrictions
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