The South African Liquor Brandowners Association (Salba) has written to the National Coronavirus Command Council expressing concern about the rise in Covid-19 infections and calling on the government to apply a science-based approach and not rush to a “knee-jerk” response as it has in the past.

From the available evidence – statistical and from frontline healthcare workers – the fourth wave of Covid-19 does not warrant “destructive and unscientific restrictions”, Salba says in a statement. These restrictions include limiting or the outright ban of alcohol sales.

Instead, Salba says, the government should focus on the vaccine drive and apply a “common-sense” approach to large, unsafe social gatherings – the places where spikes in infections often originate.

However, Salba spokesperson Sibani Mngadi says government has yet to confirm that a task team to investigate implementing a vaccine mandate has been established and what its timelines and terms of reference might entail.

“Under the National Disaster Management Act, the decision on such a mandate is the preserve of the government,” he says.

However, instead of venturing into economic restrictions, Mngadi says it is now the time for the Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) to provide health-specific advice – how to increase the impact of vaccines as the main pharmaceutical intervention available. “This should be the government’s focus,” he adds.

The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) also says government’s response to the Omicron variant must be considered with care and that the country should avoid imposing restrictions that could harm the economy and particularly the liquor industry.

“Evidence has shown that liquor restrictions have not been effective in managing the rise in Covie-19 cases.

“The CGCSA has, in the past, been against applying a differentiated approach to restricting liquor sales by allowing those selling for on-site consumption to trade for seven days a week, while restricting the number of trading days for those selling for off-site consumption,” the CGCSA says in a statement.

Further, Mngadi states that there is no medical evidence that the current fourth wave is leading to increased hospital admissions, especially in intensive care wards, and that there is no justification for any alcohol sales restrictions, as has been argued for the past four prohibitions.

Salba states that it has also become increasingly evident that unsafe and large gatherings should be targeted in terms of restrictions, primarily because of the Omicron variant’s high degree of contagiousness.

Nonetheless, Salba says a significantly smaller proportion of people are being admitted to hospitals.

National Institute for Communicable Diseases public health head Dr Michelle Groome says patients admitted were also staying in hospital for a shorter time than before and ended up significantly less-often in intensive care, requiring less oxygen.

Salba points out that the median stay in hospital is now four days compared with about 18 days in the first wave in 2020.

Moreover, Salba highlights that University of the Witwatersrand vaccinology professor Shabir Madhi had said in an interview with the BBC on December 14 that there had been a significant uncoupling of the case rate in the community, and that hospitalisations and the mortality rate were much more subdued, compared with previous waves at the same point in them. He also said there appeared to be a high immunity in the population.

In this regard, Mngadi says there is no scientific basis for an implementation of bans or restrictions on the sales of alcohol which has been claimed to be intended to increase hospital capacity. “The size of gatherings that were increased fourfold without any scientific explanation in the run up to November local government elections is what needs to be managed.”

He adds that alcohol dispensing establishments are making “all the effort” to comply with the regulations.

Salba CEO Kurt Moore says the organisation urges government to approach things differently this time as the country “simply cannot afford” another set of economic restrictions. “The increase or decline in infections is not linked to the availability of alcohol.”

What another alcohol ban would do is “simply magnify the problem” of alcohol premises being the target of robbery – something evidenced by such warehouses and outlets having become the target of organised gangs since the discussion of more potentially-looming restrictions, he says.

The CGCSA says that, while it acknowledges government’s intention of striking a balance between protecting and saving lives and livelihoods and reducing disruptions to economic and social activity, any measures which affect or restrict the sale of liquor products, particularly for off-site consumption, will not only be discriminatory and uncompetitive, but will worsen the already precarious viability of affected traders and put jobs at risk.

“Any restriction will devastate the alcohol industry and its enormous supply chain and, swell the ranks of the unemployed, leaving many families and communities destitute,” says Moore.

He adds that it would be “irrational, if not hypocritical”, for the government to berate the UK and some European union nations for imposing a travel ban on South Africans, and then turn impose equally restrictive measures on its own citizens.

The CGCSA explains that retail sales for off-site consumption, which account for only 30% of the total liquor throughput, are primarily for home consumption, and not for consumption at the time of purchase. 

“In our view, the restriction of retail liquor sales imposed in the past has not achieved the objective of avoiding disorder or containing Covid-19 at the point of purchase. Nor has it had any effect in terms of reducing consumption, as opposed to purchases made during weekends.”