Trade & industry minister Ebrahim Patel is reported to have said that SA could move to stage 3 lockdown quite soon, but that the sale of alcohol would then probably only be allowed during restricted hours, such as from 8am to midday, Mondays to Wednesdays.
I would implore the minister to reconsider this strategy considering the crowding the restricted exercise time slot has created in our streets and parks. Far more people are going to be flocking to liquor stores than are exercising, and given the cramped interiors of most stores one can just imagine the crowding both inside and outside these stores, with the associated risk of spreading infection.
Furthermore, the employees of these stores will now be incurring travel expenses to get to and from work for a 12-hour working week, presumably while receiving less than their full remuneration. The logical and sensible thing to do would be to allow liquor stores to remain open for the same trading hours as supermarkets.
Johann Kruger, Noordhoek
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