Foreign Property News | Posted by Si Thu Aung
Coronavirus outbreak continues to take hold across the world.
The deputy chief medical officer, Doctor Jenny Harries, today admitted it could be up to six months before the country returns to normal.
While some people opt to treat the lockdown as a chance to detox and step back from socialising, others have turned to alcohol to soothe their minds.
As a result, delivery services have picked up after many supermarket alcohol aisles were stripped bare.
Some have been left worried the UK might even impose an alcohol ban, with unfounded rumours swirling about left, right and centre. While the UK has no plans to ban alcohol under lockdown – what countries have?
The capital of Greenland, Nuuk, has banned the sales of alcohol, in an attempt to reduce violence against children, which authorities feared may increase during the lockdown.
“In such a situation, we have to take numerous measures to avoid infection,” the prime minister, Kim Kielsen, said on Saturday. “But at the heart of my decision is the protection of children; they have to have a safe home.”
The ban, which came into force on Saturday, will last until April 15.
Alcohol sales are also currently banned in South Africa after the country imposed a strict lockdown to avoid the spread of coronavirus.
The country’s lockdown, which started on Friday and will stretch three weeks, is based on a strict set of rules which forbid the sales of alcohol, cigarettes, and even walking down the road for exercise .
On Tuesday, CNN also reported that a ban on alcohol had been introduced in Aisne, a region in northern France.
Once again, this ban was put in place over the increased risk of domestic violence, due to families living in confined spaces while on lockdown, however, it was lifted days later.
According to The Local, the authorities did a U-turn, in order to ‘ consult more widely, particularly with addiction specialists about the possible side effects of a ban.’
Why do people think there is an alcohol ban in the UK? Some fake images have started doing the rounds on social media, which have subsequently been widely shared, claiming there is an alcohol ban in the UK.
The image in question looks like a screenshot taken from the government website, but there is no truth in the claim.
While there is no ban, medics from the World Health Organisation have cautioned against using alcohol to cope with stress, calling it an ‘unhelpful coping strategy’.
Ref- CNN, The Guardian, BBC
