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The government will continue to implement the ban on the sale of liquor and cigarettes throughout the Covid-19 lockdown period.
In a statement on Twitter on Wednesday, it said the reason for this decision was to “save lives and protect the health and well-being of our people.”
The ban came into effect at the start of the lockdown on March 27. The ban on liquor sales was suspended briefly on July 1 but was reinstated 11 days later after a surge in alcohol-related injuries which put a strain on health-care facilities.
The government said 2% of stabbing incidents, which were most common among trauma cases relating to alcohol, would require a patient to be admitted to the intensive-care unit for an average of five days.
“In incidents of blunt-force trauma, which were even greater, 72% of patients required admission to hospital, of whom 25% would need to be admitted to ICU for an average of nine days.”
Meanwhile, a second study conducted by researchers at the University of Cape Town has found that the price of bootleg cigarettes has soared during the lockdown and that the ongoing ban has proven to be a bonanza for the black market, with a negligible public health benefit.
An initial study conducted by the university during the first five weeks of the country’s lockdown showed that 16% of smokers had quit due to the ban.
However, the number of smokers sharing cigarettes has since risen from 1.7% to 8.9% and cigarette prices have soared by some 250% compared to pre-lockdown market prices, the new study shows.
The study revealed that for every month the government continues to ban tobacco sales, it loses at least R1 billion in revenue.
Meanwhile, late on Wednesday, the government said that information contained in the initial tweet was incorrect and would be removed.
- African News Agency (ANA)
