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On Monday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that restaurants and bars will have to close at 10 p.m.
FILE: Alcohol can only be purchased between 10 am and 6 pm Monday through Thursday. Image: 123rf.
JOHANNESBURG – The Gauteng Liquor Forum said that while the new COVID-19 closure regulations would have a severe impact on taverns and shebeens this holiday season, they had no choice but to comply.
The forum represents some 20,000 tavern and shebeen owners in the province, who play a key role in the hospitality industry.
On Monday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that restaurants and bars will have to close at 10 p.m.
You can buy alcohol only between 10 am and 6 pm Monday through Thursday.
Thabo Modise of the forum said: “Although we have been given time to turn around, we will manage to survive, there is nothing we can do for now.”
There is a mixed reaction to the latest lockdown regulations announced by Ramaphosa as the government tries to stop the second wave of infections.
All beaches along the Garden Route and Eastern Cape will be closed from Wednesday to January 3, while Durban’s beaches will only be closed on traditionally busy days like Christmas and New Years.
Public health expert professor Alex van den Heever said Ramaphosa’s restrictions on beaches may have been too harsh, while regulations on alcohol and curfew were spot on.
“Overall, it was a proportionate response. I think that the closure of beaches can create a problem, but it is an understandable answer at this time ”.
Meanwhile, the Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA) will write to Ramaphosa on Tuesday morning to request a review of the new COVID-19 closure curfew to allow staff to return home later.
Although the restaurant industry recognizes that it is a good balancing act, the association’s executive director, Wendy Alberts, said they needed more time to help the industry survive.
“This curfew complicates commerce for us and certainly minimizes the ability to have extended deliveries and deep cleaning. It takes us an hour to deep clean and disinfect to prepare for the next day. We have to get the staff home at 11pm now. “
Ramaphosa said the longer curfew would help with overcast events.
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