[imagesource:here]

Ah, June 1, 2020.

It’s the day that South Africans have long been waiting for since alcohol was banned under alert level 4 and alert level 5 of the national lockdown.

There was much rejoicing (and a fair amount of concern) when it was announced that the ban would be lifted as we moved to alert level 3.

We all remember the toilet paper and beans madness that took hold just before the stay at home order went into effect.

To makes things worse, the government has a history of changing its mind when it comes to lockdown regulations, often at a moment’s notice, which means that some South Africans are preparing for the possibility that liquor sales may once again be banned.

This, naturally, leads to stockpiling.

However, in preparation for the masses on Monday, a number of liquor organisation and bodies have decided that stockpiling will not be allowed.

Over to IOL:

Beer Association of South Africa (Basa), Consumer Goods Council of SA (CGCSA), Consortium of Liquor Traders Associations (LTA), Liquor Traders Association of SA (LTASA), South African Liquor Brand owners Association (Salba) and VinPro (representing wine industry) have made it clear to consumers that they do not want a repeat of the chaos that ensued when President Cyril Ramaphosa initially announced the lockdown in March.

Those in the industry have taken it upon themselves to compile their own guidelines in this regard.

BASA chief executive Patricia Pillay on the guidelines:

Speaking on behalf of traders and associations, Basa chief executive Patricia Pillay confirmed that no bulk-buying would be permitted…

“They (guidelines) are designed to protect all staff and customers from the spread of the virus. We will need a collective to unite in our efforts to create a safe environment for all staff, customers and others who may enter the outlets,” Pillay said.

She added that staff at these outlets would be expected to adhere to the basic hygiene criteria and to wash and sanitise their hands.

Liquor stores are at liberty to determine how much alcohol will be allocated per customer.

The Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance in South Africa has come out in support of the restrictions on alcohol sales.

Spokesperson Maurice Smithers said the level 3 measures must focus on the proper resourcing of monitoring and enforcement capacity, together with an efficient reporting mechanism for non-compliance.

Before getting your hopes up, it’s probably best to phone ahead to find out how much your local liquor store is selling to each customer.

Meanwhile, people lined up in hoards outside liquor stores before the anticipated 9AM opening.

Here’s Strand:

JUNE 1 BOOZE SALES OPEN:

In the Strand:

A long queue of alcohol-shoppers lined up before the 09h00 expected opening of liquor sales – for the first time in 65 days.

Across the road, the ban on walking on the beach sand remained.@News24 (@MurrayRSA) pic.twitter.com/DwnnZBSqVt

— Team News24 (@TeamNews24) June 1, 2020

Pretoria getting a head start on things:

The excitement at the Makro Liquor Store in Silverlakes Pretoria. Liquor will be sold legally for the first time since the lockdown was enforced (@AlexMitchley) pic.twitter.com/wuBOdzrBZv

— Team News24 (@TeamNews24) June 1, 2020

More from News24:

BASA has set up a hotline for “any incidents of criminality during this period”.

If you want to avoid the madness, keep in mind that you can order your favourite gin and wine online.

It might take a few more days, but you won’t have to fight the crowds for your tipple of choice.

[source:iol]