How world sees SA: Covid-19 alcohol ban a ‘drastic experiment’ to beat booze crimes

South Africa has one of the strictest Covid-19 lockdown regimes, a strategy that has paid off in keeping the number of deaths down. As of Monday, less than 300 deaths were Covid-19-linked. As The Washington Post points out, the number of deaths related to other causes is down, too. The publication highlights the strict alcohol ban and underscores that government leaders, like social development minister Lindiwe Zulu, see Covid-19 containment as a big experiment that goes beyond simply reducing the spread of the deadly virus. – Jackie Cameron

By Thulasizwe Sithole

South Africa's alcohol ban has not only been about keeping a lid on the spread of the Covid-19 virus – it's about the government experimenting with a way to cut the crime rate and change our boozy habits for good.

This was confirmed by Lindiwe Zulu, social development minister, in an article carried by the Washington Post, which points out that South Africa has taken some of the most drastic measures in the world to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus. The regulation that has generated fierce debate like no other has been the ban on the sale, and even transport, of alcohol, it tells its readers.

"Only two other countries – Sri Lanka and Panama – continue to deprive their citizens of that most universal pleasure-giver and painkiller, though much larger India and Thailand recently lifted similar bans.

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