Alcohol and Cigarettes Banned Till End of Lockdown, Says SA Government Tweet
South Africans have been shocked by a tweet, posted by the South African Government, casually announcing that the sale of cigarettes and alcohol are to remain banned until the end of lockdown. The tweet, posted at lunchtime, says: “The ban on the sale of alcohol and cigarette will remain in place throughout the lockdown period.The […]
South Africans have been shocked by a tweet, posted by the South African Government, casually announcing that the sale of cigarettes and alcohol are to remain banned until the end of lockdown.
The tweet, posted at lunchtime, says: “The ban on the sale of alcohol and cigarette will remain in place throughout the lockdown period.The purpose is to save lives and protect the health and well-being of our people. #AlcohoBan”
Some weren’t sure whether to take the message seriously. It’s unusual for the government to make a controversial announcement, such as this, in a tweet. The post also has typos (cigarette instead of cigarettes, #AlcohoBan instead of #AlcoholBan), so some are hoping it was a member of staff with a wicked sense of humour who temporarily hijacked the government’s Twitter feed.
However, it appears genuine since other messages have subsequently been posted and this one has not been removed. (SAPeople has reached out for confirmation.)
The post was accompanied by statistics proving the value in saving lives by continuing the bans. See below.
https://twitter.com/GovernmentZA/status/1285879006420762624
Meanwhile restaurants around South Africa have been holding a peaceful protest today about the tight restrictions that are leading to job losses.
UPDATE: The tweet has since been removed, and the SA government had admitted the tweet was “incorrect”.