Data shows that booze bans don't work, says drinks industry
SA's drinks industry is worth about R101bn to the country's GDP. File photo.
Image: Sebabatso Mosamo
SA’s drinks industry wants the government to reconsider future alcohol bans on the grounds that bans do not work but instead put livelihoods at risk.
The industry’s call comes in the wake of new data published on Thursday that claims there is no evidence the alcohol bans implemented during lockdown worked to reduce the number of trauma admissions to hospitals or that they curbed the spread of Covid-19.
“You have to be extremely careful making the claim for causality,” said independent data expert Ian McGorian who, along with Prof Mike Murray from the University of KwaZulu-Natal School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, conducted the analysis.