Monday, July 13, 2020 www.nabca.org

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

• IA: Public-health officials examine effects of alcohol consumption on spread of COVID-19 • SC: Last call: Governor bans alcohol sales at SC Bars, restaurants after 11pm • South Africa Bans Alcohol Sales Again • Alcohol sales outperform soft drinks on first weekend back • E-commerce firms in high spirits: BigBasket, Amazon, Swiggy and Zomato foray into alcohol

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IA: Public-health officials examine effects of alcohol consumption on spread of COVID-19

Daily Iowan By Mary Hartel, News Reporter July 12, 2020

Alcohol consumption impairs judgment and suppresses the immune system, potentially increasing contraction vulnerability and COVID-19 transmission for people engaging in social drinking at bars and restaurants.

Local public health experts are examining the role that alcohol consumption may play in contracting and transmitting the coronavirus as the volume of positive cases continues to climb in Johnson County and around Iowa.

Paul Gilbert, assistant professor in the University of Iowa College of Public Health, said being drunk could definitely impact one’s ability to comply with social-distancing guidelines.

“Alcohol has all sorts of effects on the body, pretty quickly and pretty directly, and one of the effects is on the brain in that it starts to change the brain chemistry and how your brain works, and even from the first sip these changes begin,” said Gilbert, whose primary research follows drinking patterns in the population at large.

Gilbert said it’s hard to determine the threshold for when drinking begins to impair one’s decision making for most infrequent or moderate drinkers, but alcohol changes the brain chemistry, especially around the prefrontal cortex — the part of your brain that essentially checks impulses and raises caution.

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“That becomes impaired the more and more alcohol is in your system, so absolutely people could start disregarding the precautions, whether it’s wearing masks or distancing — anything else,” Gilbert said.

Consuming alcohol has always been recognized as having a disinhibiting effect on people, Gilbert said, relaxing and loosening them up.

“A lot of times at small levels that’s the effect we’re going for, it makes socializing easier, it makes you more gregarious,” Gilbert said. “But it also has that effect of interrupting the process in your brain that kind of puts a check on things that might be risky or dangerous or that you maybe shouldn’t do.”

In addition to impairing judgement, alcohol consumption has a direct impact on the immune system and tends to suppress it, Gilbert added.

“The more alcohol you drink and the more frequently you drink, the more ineffective your immune system is going to be,” he said. “So, if you are exposed to anything from the common cold to tetanus to COVID, your body is going to have a harder time fighting back against any infection because of that exposure to alcohol.”

In light of a recent uptick of cases in Johnson County, Gilbert said it’s probably a bad time to think about going into crowded indoor spaces where people won’t be wearing face coverings.

The safest course of action is to always not consume any alcohol at all, Gilbert said, or otherwise to engage in common low-risk drinking behavior.

Gabby Coleman, a senior studying marketing at the UI said she tested positive for the coronavirus on June 27.

Primarily asymptomatic besides losing her sense of taste, Coleman, a server at local bar and restaurant Saloon, said she thinks she contracted the virus either from working or from drinking at other bars with her coworkers one night.

Coleman said she “for sure,” thinks being drunk could affect people’s ability to properly socially distance and follow mitigation guidelines.

“I would be serving people margaritas, and on their third one they just take off their mask and don’t even try to keep it on or they’ll come up to the bar and talk to me, whereas before they wouldn’t even go in the restaurant.” Coleman said. “And same at the bars, I feel like when everyone’s drunk and having fun

they’re just sort of — you know, your first instinct is to hug your friend — and so if you’re drunk, you’re probably going to hug your friend.”

Sam Jarvis, community health manager with Johnson County Public Health, said the county is seeing a spike in positive cases among a younger demographic.

Jarvis said it would be difficult to pinpoint exactly where transmission was occurring, but he thinks there’s a multitude of factors contributing to the spike, and that alcohol consumption and engaging in social drinking activities could be one.

“We obviously recognize that when you’re out to drink or eat, certainly you can’t do that with a face covering on and so being in an enclosed area, not wearing a mask, potentially in close quarters next to a lot of persons, that kind of environment creates a really decent area to have transmission occur,” Jarvis said.

Jarvis added that while people are socializing and enjoying company, it may be harder to remember to maintain a six-foot distance, and when loud music is playing, people are more likely to speak louder and expel more respiratory droplets.

“You’re kind of looking at a perfect mix for transmission potentially,” Jarvis said.

On July 12, Coleman ended her quarantine, she said, and is now encouraging people to stay out of the bars, or at least wear a mask.

“I feel bad because being young…I was like, ‘Oh yeah, it doesn’t affect me,’” Coleman said. “But it does–because it affects older people, our families, people who might be immunocompromised, it’s a bigger picture.”

UT: Pandemic drinking shows alcohol misuse can be problem at any age Women of all ages, people in stress, those stuck home in the pandemic are among those drinking more

Deseret News By Lois M. Collins July 12, 2020

SALT LAKE CITY — More people have been drinking at home during the pandemic, raising fears among experts that the trend will result in more people becoming physically and emotionally dependent on alcohol.

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Alcohol and COVID-19 bring out the worst in each other. COVID-19 appears to increase drinking, which raises risk for serious health consequences if someone compromised by alcohol contracts COVID-19.

“The data is showing that absolutely during pandemic, we do have more people drinking. Not everybody may be problem drinking, or drinking to excess every day, but definitely more people are drinking,” said Misty McIntyre Goodsell, director of research and development at Odyssey House, which operates treatment programs.

“People can become problem drinkers at any age,” she added.

A rise in drinking is difficult to quantify. Some are doing it quietly at home. And reports that treatment programs are seeing new people seeking treatment are countered by people who are staying away from any care settings to avoid the virus, experts say.

But Dr. George Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, said alcohol sales provide clues that more people are drinking at home right now. On-premise alcohol sales went down when bars closed and people started social distancing, but retail sales where people buy alcohol to consume elsewhere went up: Alcohol sales were up 5% in March and 10% in April. May and June figures aren’t out yet.

“Some people are clearly drinking more, some may be drinking less,” he told the Deseret News.

Koob sees cause to worry, starting with alcohol use patterns. Individuals who are “vulnerable, on the edge of alcohol misuse,” may be pushed over that edge by the pandemic-related stresses. Loneliness and separation might increase drinking and lead to what he calls a vicious cycle of using alcohol to fix a problem, then feeling lousy the next day and drinking to fix that. It has been trickier getting treatment during the pandemic, too.

With people more likely to be home, they also have more time to think about things they don’t like, the family support they don’t have or sometimes problems in the family they do have. Alcohol use may rise where people who don’t get along are together more or in homes with any form of domestic violence, said Goodsell.

People who never drink, including kids, may become alcoholic trying to cope with abuse. Adverse

childhood events are a known risk for alcohol misuse.

“And alcohol is by far in our culture and our community the easiest drug to access,” she said.

America imbibes

Alcohol use is common in America. The 2018 National Survey of Drug Use and Health found 86.3% of those 18 and older drank alcohol at some point, while 70% said they drank in the past year. And 55.3% said they drank in the past month. More than a fourth reported binge drinking, defined as having multiple drinks in a sitting and getting drunk.

That survey showed 14.4 million adults with what’s now called “alcohol use disorder,” which the national institute called a disease characterized by “uncontrolled drinking and preoccupation with alcohol.” Not quite 8% with the disorder in the past year were treated for it.

Additionally, more than 400,000 youths 12-17 years old had alcohol use disorder; 5% of them were treated, which means 95% were not. Young females had a higher rate of the disorder than young males, bucking the trend in older drinkers, where males dominate, but women are catching up.

Each year, about 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes, the institute says. Drunken-driving deaths are about a third of all motor vehicle fatalities.

Alcohol consumption, emergency room visits related to drinking and hospitalizations have all increased since 2012, according to a study published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

The institute says treatment may require behavioral therapy, medications, medical detoxification and long-term mutual support groups.

COVID-19 has complicated all of that. Many support meetings have moved online, which doesn’t help people who lack technology or don’t feel comfortable using it. Online therapy or support may feel less personal, as well. And seeking immediate, in-person help has been hampered by health care provider policies designed to limit COVID-19 spread.

Ages and stages

Though Koob calls alcohol use disorder an “equal opportunity employer” impacting people of all races

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and ages and regions, he notes some are more vulnerable. If both parents misused alcohol, there’s a higher likelihood their kids will do the same. That’s a risk with people who experienced childhood trauma — even years later. Any major stress can increase alcohol use that lingers even after the stress itself.

The stress-inducing pandemic could impact alcohol use patterns for a long time if people become both physically and emotionally dependent on alcohol.

How much people drink also increases the likelihood alcohol will become problematic. People who exceed dietary guidelines — up to seven drinks for females a week and 14 for males, none of it in binges — are at far greater risk.

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans say to avoid alcohol entirely if medications or medical conditions could interact badly with alcohol; if you’re underage; if you plan to operate a vehicle or machinery; if you want to do anything requiring skill, coordination or alertness; if you are recovering from alcohol use disorder or can’t control how much you drink; or if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant.

Goodsell said people can drink too much at any age. In late adolescence and young adulthood, brains aren’t completely formed, but life is opening up. Kids leave home; they also have more access to booze. The combination of being on their own, socializing with alcohol, and pressure from jobs or school or relationships can all lead to alcohol misuse.

In their 20s through 40s, Goodsell said people may become problem drinkers because they have emotional pain and challenges they don’t know how to manage. Connection to others, feeling good about one’s life and having responsibility and validation are protective against alcohol abuse, though they don’t guarantee alcohol never becomes a problem.

People can feel disconnected when the nest empties or overburdened by caring for aging, sick parents or spouses with health issues. Worry about things like money can also create a problem with alcohol consumption, said Goodsell. People in their 50s and 60s may tackle changes in their lives and relationships by drinking too much.

She said treatment programs see many in their 20s and 30s and fewer in their 40s, 50s and 60s. Maybe part of that, she said, is because heavy drinkers may

die from their addiction and they die decades earlier than other people do.

Bars and COVID-19

Texas reclosed its bars recently after they were opened briefly as the state moved to jumpstart the economy. Other states have or are considering doing the same.

Koob said indoor bars are problematic when it comes to slowing COVID-19.

Drinking disinhibits people, he said, so they are less likely to social distance or to wear masks. They tend to speak louder — and if it’s noisy, louder still. That has been shown to increase the spread of respiratory droplets. Patrons are also less likely to worry about a virus when they’re drinking.

Folks need to take the risks seriously, Koob said. His director’s blog points out that “alcohol misuse both activates the immune system, causing inflammation, and interferes with the body’s immune response to viral and bacterial infections.” Too much alcohol damages cells lining the lungs and can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome. An impaired immune system and any ensuing respiratory illness could make COVID-19 more severe or even deadly, he wrote.

Koob said he’s not saying the risk is the same at a restaurant or perhaps an outside table, where they’re socially distant from others. “But to go back to the regular bar scene is clearly problematic, and I think we’re seeing that across the United States right now.”

The institute’s Rethinking Drinking website has information on alcohol misuse disorder, COVID-19 and other topics. For people who want information on getting help, the institute offers an online Treatment Navigator.

OR: Bartenders create petition to legalize to-go cocktails in Oregon A petition with more than 1,600 signatures demands Oregon's governor and the OLCC legalize to-go cocktails to help service industry workers stay afloat.

KGW8 Author: Brittany Falkers July 12, 2020

PORTLAND, Ore. — Before the pandemic hit, you could feel the pulse of Portland in its bar and

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restaurant scene. From birthdays and anniversaries to a happy hour after a hard day of work, craft cocktails and unique boozy beverages were often at the center of it all.

Even as more restrictions have eased for bars and restaurants across Oregon, many in the service industry are still out of work, owners are struggling to pay their bills, and bars and restaurants that cannot meet new safety requirements can't open at all.

"Money is just coming out of the account, nothing's going in," Portland bartender Micah Anderson said.

Anderson is a bartender at the Rum Club in Portland. His job is waiting for him when the bar is able to reopen, but right now he says they can't because of Phase 1 restrictions.

"We're still closed. What that means for us is that we're not bringing in any revenue, we haven't gotten any concessions on rent. So, we're still paying full rent with no money coming in and that's the case for a lot of people," he said.

Matt Gumm is also a career bartender who is out of work because of the pandemic.

"I'm a bartender, and my partner's a bartender, and my roommate is a bartender and most of my friends are bartenders and pretty much everyone that I've talked to in Phase 1 is worried and scared...not having as many shifts as they had before," Gumm said.

Worried about how the hospitality industry and its workers would survive, Gumm and Anderson came up with a solution: cocktails to-go.

The goal is to give bar owners and workers alike the opportunity to continue supporting themselves through increased sales.

"I just wanted to give us all of the tools available to survive as and industry during this time period and it might not make us filthy rich and give us all that we want, but it might help us keep the lights on and make sure people's paychecks aren't going to bounce and things like that," Gumm said.

Current laws do not allow for take-out and delivery of cocktails. Earlier on in the pandemic, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) eased regulations, allowing restaurants, bars and pubs to serve beer and wine to-go and for deliver. Mixed

drinks and liquor, however, do not apply to those new rules.

Gumm and Anderson aims to change that with their petition. It demands the OLCC and Governor Kate Brown legalize to-go cocktails in the state.

Several other states have already given the green light for to-go cocktail sales, including Washington and California. Iowa recently made it a permanent law change.

Both Anderson and Gumm say many of the logistics need to be worked out and they want to ensure it's done safely, but they also want it done quickly.

"It's something that, I feel like, if we don't get done in this next special session, whenever it's called it's going to affect a lot of people," Anderson said.

As of 8:30 p.m. Sunday night, the petition to legalize to-go cocktails in Oregon had more than 1,600 signatures.

KGW reached out to the OLCC, but hadn't heard back.

MS: Prohibition officially ends in Mississippi

Picayne Item By Laurel Thrailkill July 11, 2020

The state of Mississippi will officially end prohibition in January. The change takes place nearly 90 years after prohibition was officially repealed in the U.S.

House Bill 1087, signed by Gov. Tate Reeves on July 2, will legalize the possession of alcohol in every Mississippi county. The law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2021.

There are currently 29 dry counties in Mississippi, including Pearl River County.

Pearl River County is a dry county with some exceptions. Beer and light wine can be sold by businesses within the city limits of Picayune and Poplarville for home consumption, and alcoholic beverages, including liquor, can be sold within Picayune city limits only for consumption within restaurants.

Residents of Pearl River County can currently face legal consequences for possessing alcohol in the county outside of Picayune and Poplarville city limits said District III Supervisor Hudson Holiday.

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Holiday said after Jan. 1, this will no longer be the case.

Despite this, Pearl River County will officially maintain its dry status unless a referendum is added to a ballot and residents vote in favor of Pearl River County becoming wet, said Mississippi House District 108 Representative Stacey Hobgood-Wilkes.

“Pearl River County will remain dry,” Wilkes said. “You still can’t purchase it here.”

Wilkes said that while possession of alcohol will be legal in all Mississippi counties, the sale of alcohol will not automatically be made legal by the new law.

Wilkes said there was a bill proposed that would have made all Mississippi counties wet by default, allowing counties to opt out if they wanted to, but the bill failed.

Wilkes, Senator Angela Hill and Mississippi House District 106 Representative Jansen Owen each voted in favor of the bill ending prohibition in the state.

LICENSE STATE NEWS

SC: Last call: Governor bans alcohol sales at SC Bars, restaurants after 11pm

ABC Columbia By Crysty Vaughan July 11, 2020

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster’s order to stop the sale of alcoholic beverages in all bars and restaurants after 11:00 PM, takes effect tonight.

On Friday, McMaster said the order was to help reduce the transmission of COVID-19 between young adults in South Carolina.

Governor Henry McMaster said, “We know that young adults who are rapidly contracting the virus and spreading it into our communities frequently congregate in late-night atmospheres which simply are not conducive to stopping its continued transmission.” “This measured, carefully tailored approach will lessen the opportunity for South Carolinians to put themselves and their loved ones in harm’s way,” said McMaster.

It is important to note, that the order does not apply to alcohol sold at convenience or grocery stores, wine and liquor stores, or retail business.

Per the Governor, the order applies to any holder of the following licenses: On-Premises Beer and Wine Permit, Winery Permit, Brewpub Beer/Wine Permit, Brewery Permit, Business Liquor by the Drink License, Non-Profit Private Club Liquor by the Drink License, Special Event Permit, or Special Non-Profit Event Permit.

According to officials, there are around 8,000 restaurants and bars permitted by the S.C. Department of Revenue for on-site sale and consumption of alcohol.

CT: CT Wine Industry Asks For Grocery Store Sales The state's farm wine industry is asking Connecticut to throw it a lifeline amid several struggles, including the coronavirus pandemic.

Across Connecticut By Rich Scinto, Patch Staff July 12, 2020

CONNECTICUT — The Connecticut farm wine industry is asking state officials to throw them a lifeline by allowing grocery store sales of their products. The industry has faced a trifecta of challenges in the past year, one of course being the coronavirus pandemic. Local vineyard owners are also concerned about a new wine manufacturer permit that went into effect July 1 that makes it easier to import 100 percent of grapes from other areas for winemaking.

Gov. Ned Lamont visited Jonathan Edwards Winery in North Stonington to talk about the state's reopening. While there owner Jonathan Edwards who is also the head of the Connecticut Vineyard and Winery Association asked about allowing wine sales in grocery stores.

Gov. Ned Lamont indicated at least a willingness to look at allowing wine sales in grocery stores.

"I said it's something we'll look at. Let me talk to the legislature about that, see where they are. I know many other states have done that already," Lamont said.

Connecticut only allows beer sales at grocery stores. Some nearby states including Massachusetts allow wine sales in grocery stores as do at least 30 states across the country. New Jersey doesn't explicitly ban alcohol sales in grocery stores, but the state has a limit of two liquor licenses per grocery store chain.

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Connecticut made major changes to its liquor laws under former Gov. Dannel Malloy who pushed for things including expanded sale hours and Sunday sales. The trend continued under Gov. Ned Lamont who signed a bill into law that greatly expanded the ability of beer manufacturers to directly sell to consumers. Beer manufacturers can sell about 72 cans per day to individual consumers. The law also allows permittees to sell other Connecticut-made alcohol for on-premise consumption; wineries can sell Connecticut beer and visa versa for breweries.

Not everyone thinks that grocery store wine sales would help Connecticut wine producers. Carroll J. Hughes, the lobbyist for the Connecticut Package Store Association told the Hartford Courant that local producers may be hurt by grocery sales because package stores have the expertise to recommend wines and showcase Connecticut-made products.

Edwards doesn't think that will be the case.

"He seemed open to it," Edwards said of Lamont. "And I will say we have a great partnership on package stores, this isn't an attack on package stores."

One of the main concerns of the Connecticut vineyard association is that millennials aren't being exposed to the plethora of wine options available when they go to the grocery store.

"I think it's unconsciously shifting people's buying patterns," Edwards said. "When you don't even have the option you are slowly going to shift in another direction,"

They are already able to pick from a variety of mass-produced and craft beers when they shop for the weekly groceries. The vineyard industry is looking for many of the same rights that have led to a booming craft beer industry in Connecticut, Edwards said.

New wine permit concerns vineyard owners

The association is also concerned about last year's liquor control bill that would give wine manufacturers many same rights as farm wineries.

The main issue is that farm wineries have to use at least 25 percent of their own grapes in wine production and are subject to the unpredictable nature and burdens of farming, Edwards said. The farm wine industry contributes around $150 million to the state economy through tourism, farming and

manufacturing, according to Edwards. It also contributes thousands of acres of open space.

The new permit went into effect July 1 despite the association's lobbying efforts to delay its start by a year.

There wasn't a proper public testimony period for the new permit last year, Edwards said. Legislators need more information about the potential ramifications of the new permit.

The vineyard association isn't against a new classification, but thinks that some things should be scaled back, including the permit allowing a manufacturer to produce up to 100,000 gallons (40,000 cases) of wine a year. The association is advocating for a limit closer to 10,000 gallons per year.

"It upends the apple cart in our opinion, and we are really concerned about that," Edwards said.

The issue previously came up in February before the pandemic derailed the state's legislative session. General Law Committee co-chair Michael D'Agostino at the time said he didn't see a problem with the law and didn't plan to revisit it this year, according to CTNewsJunkie. He said only farm wineries are allowed to be part of the state's wine trail and there are other benefits to farm wineries.

COVID-19 hits wine industry too

The Connecticut farm wine industry also wasn't spared the wraith of the coronavirus. Foot traffic is down at vineyards throughout Connecticut; revenue from things like weddings and other large gatherings is virtually non-existent at this point, Edwards said.

Amid the grapes one can still get a short reprieve from the dire situation that plagues the country.

"In a lot of ways you can come to winery and still kind of feel like it was pre-Covid-19," Edwards said. "...on a farm, you can go out and pretty much enjoy the bucolic nature of it."

FL: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Offers No End To Bar Shutdown Due To Spiking Coronavirus Cases

CBS Miami July 13, 2020

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) — Buying alcohol will remain a to-go-only option at Florida bars for the

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foreseeable future as coronavirus cases continue to spike.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday the state isn’t changing a decision last month to reimpose a ban on bars selling alcohol for on-site consumption because of widespread non-compliance with coronavirus safety measures.

“So, right now, we’re not making any changes, status quo,” DeSantis said while at Blake Medical Center in Bradenton. “We want to get this positivity rate down. We want to continue to, you know, hopefully see declining COVID-like illness visits at the (emergency departments). And then as we get in a more stable situation, then we’ll take a look at it.”

During the appearance at the hospital and in other appearances during the past week, DeSantis defended the state’s health response and his efforts to reopen businesses amid the surge in cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.

Florida reported a record 15,300 new cases Sunday, bringing the total number of cases to 269,811. The state data also showed that 4,242 Florida residents had died from the virus.

DeSantis initially stopped bars and nightclubs from serving alcohol for on-site consumption as part of an emergency order on March 20 that was aimed at stopping the spread of the virus.

The order was lifted on June 5 in all but South Florida, which has been hit hardest by the pandemic. But while bars were allowed to start serving drinks again, the state limited indoor customer occupancy to 50 percent and allowed only table service.

In reimposing the prohibition on on-site consumption June 26, state officials said non-compliance with the guidelines was too widespread to enforce.

“I want them to be able to operate but I also want them to do it consistent with the step-by-step plan, and we just weren’t able to get that done,” DeSantis said Saturday.

A group of bar owners filed a lawsuit July 3 against DeSantis in Volusia County circuit court over the ban on on-site drink sales, arguing it has effectively forced businesses to close.

Attorney Jacob Weil, representing one of the bar owners, told WESH in Orlando the order unfairly

discriminates against bars, as establishments that serve food in conjunction with alcohol are able to remain open.

“All these bar owners are asking for is to be treated the same as the other similar restaurants and establishments that are being allowed to serve alcohol for on-premises consumption,” Weil told the television station.

The state order doesn’t affect restaurants that derive less than half of their gross revenue from the sale of alcohol.

DeSantis’ comments Saturday came a day after Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears announced the suspension of alcoholic beverage licenses at “gentlemen’s clubs” in Panama City Beach and Orlando.

An emergency suspension order directed at Le Palace Otown in Orlando said violations occurred on at least three nights this month.

“Customers failed to observe social distancing guidelines and were in close proximity to each other and with adult performers,” the order said.

At Show-N-Tail in Panama City Beach, the order alleged that customers were not following social-distancing rules and on July 2 had been required to pay an entry fee that included a “free” alcoholic beverage.

The order said that because of the owner’s “disregard of the well-known dangers of COVID-19, it is likely that the suspended licensee will continue its harmful business practice and behavior.”

The state has announced four alcoholic licenses have been suspended since the on-site consumption ban was reimplemented.

CO: Governor Jared Polis extends takeout alcohol bill This extends the bill until July 2021

KKTV News 11 July 11, 2020

DENVER, Colo. (Press Release) -The bill authorizes a business with a manufacturer or wholesaler license and a sales room, beer and wine license, hotel and restaurant license, tavern license, brew pub license, club license, vintner's restaurant license, distillery

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pub license, lodging and entertainment license, or fermented malt beverage on- and off-premises retailer license (retailer) to deliver alcohol beverages to customers and to allow customers to take the beverages off the licensed premises. The beverages may be sold or delivered in a sealed container that complies with state licensing authority rules and may be sold by the drink or by multiple drinks.

The following requirements are also placed on the sale or delivery of alcohol beverages by retailers:

• The customer must be 21 years of age or older;

• If the governor has not declared an emergency, or the retailer is not a wholesaler, a manufacturer that operates a sales room, a brew pub, a vintner's restaurant, or a distillery pub , the order may contain no more than 750 milliliters of vinous liquors and spirituous liquors and no more than 72 fluid ounces of malt liquors, fermented malt beverages, and hard cider;

• If the governor has not declared an emergency or the retailer is not a wholesaler or manufacturer that operates a sales room, the retailer must derive no more than 50% of its gross annual revenues for sales of food and alcohol beverages from the sale of alcohol beverages through takeout orders and that the retailer delivers;

• If the governor has not declared an emergency, the retailer must have a permit to sell takeout or deliver alcohol beverages; and

• Delivery must be made by an employee of the licensee who is 21 years of age or older and who has satisfactorily completed seller and server training under the responsible vendor program.

The bill directs the state licensing authority to adopt rules:

• Specifying the types of containers to be used for delivery of alcohol beverages;

• Creating a permit for retailers to engage in takeout and delivery of alcohol beverages;

• Setting fees for takeout and delivery permits; and

• Concerning any other matters necessary to implement the bill.

The bill does not apply to caterers and repeals on July 1, 2021 .

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

South Africa Bans Alcohol Sales Again

The Drinks Business by Phoebe French July 13, 2020

The South African government has reinstated its controversial ban on domestic alcohol sales as the industry reports revenue loss of R18 billion (£852.8 million).

Addressing the nation on Sunday (12 July) night, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the decision had been made in order to free-up hospital beds occupied by those suffering from alcohol-related traumas.

“As we head towards the peak of infections, it is vital that we do not burden our clinics and hospitals with alcohol-related injuries that could have been avoided,” he said.

“This is a fight to save every life, and we need to save every bed. We have therefore decided that in order to conserve hospital capacity, the sale, dispensing and distribution of alcohol will be suspended with immediate effect.”

He added that there was now “clear evidence” that a resumption of alcohol sales “has resulted in substantial pressure being put on hospitals, including trauma and ICU units, due to motor vehicle accidents, violence and related trauma”.

South African industry groups including the South African Liquor Brandowners’ Association (SALBA), the Beer Association of South Africa (BASA), VinPro, Liquor Traders Association of South Africa (LTASA) and the Liquor Traders Council of South Africa (LTCSA) said the resumption of the ban on sales would affect up to one million people working as part of the “liquor industry value chain”.

The groups said they were “disappointed” with the decision, which they said had been made with “no warning” despite their “continuous engagement” with the government and the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (DTIC).

They called the move “deeply troubling” and reiterated that the South African alcohol industry shares the government’s concerns about rising Covid-19 cases, and would “continue to support

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efforts to curb this unprecedented health emergency”.

“While we acknowledge the urgency of the situation, it is crucial to understand the complexity of alcohol-related trauma so that we can sharpen our focus on the most effective interventions and also measure their impact against a shared understanding of the facts and the problems. This requires access to health and alcohol related information in private and public sector hospitals and clinics which government has never shared with industry,” the statement noted.

SALBA CEO Kurt Moore said the ban would have a “disastrous economic impact on the industry and continue to exacerbate the loss of excise revenue”, warning that the move would “fuel the growth in the illicit liquor market”.

A statement from VinPro added: “The decision to suspend local liquor sales will deal a devastating blow to the South African wine industry, which has already suffered great financial and job losses due to bans earlier in the lockdown.”

It has been reported that during the nine-week lockdown, the South African alcohol industry has lost R18 billion in revenue (£852.8 million) and R3.4 billion (£142.1m) in excise tax. The loss of excise tax is a direct result of increasing sales of illegal alcohol products which don’t pay taxes.

While the domestic sale, dispensation and transportation of alcohol is forbidden, the country is still permitted to export alcoholic beverages. Alcohol used in the production of hand sanitiser is permitted to travel around the country, while members of the industry can transfer products from manufacturing facilities to storage sites if required.

While exports are not impacted, Wines of South Africa stated that producers are being affected “by reduced logistics at ports and adverse weather”.

In addition to the alcohol ban, the country has now instated a night-time curfew between the hours of 9pm and 4am, while masks must now been worn at all times while in public places.

Ramaphosa said that current projections indicate the country will reach the peak of infections between the end of July and late September.

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country has now risen to 276,242, with over 12,000

recorded each day. Over 4,000 people have now died from the virus in South Africa, with the province of Gauteng now the worst affected region with almost 100,000 confirmed cases.

The national state of emergency in the country has now been extended to 15 August.

Previous restrictions

An initial ban on alcohol exports was announced on 25 March and came into effect at midnight on 26 March. This was then lifted on 7 April, only to be reinstated on 16 April.

Exports resumed from Friday 1 May, while the government eased restrictions on domestic alcohol sales last month. Retailers were permitted to sell alcohol on four days per week.

Back in April, Wines of South Africa estimated the export disruption could result in revenue loss of over R1 billion (£44 million, FOB value).

Jo Wehring, UK market manager for Wines of South Africa, told the drinks business: “Although there was a short period when exports could resume during the five week lockdown, very little was exported as the port in Cape Town was operating at around 25% capacity.”

INDUSTRY NEWS

Alcohol sales outperform soft drinks on first weekend back

Harpers.co.uk By Jo Gilbert July 13, 2020

Sales of alcohol in managed pubs and bars outstripped non-alcoholic drinks on the 4 July weekend, it has been revealed, with beer becoming the celebratory lockdown-breaker of choice among punters.

Though sales of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks were down across the board, alcohol sales fared a little better over the 4 July weekend according to the new Drinks Recovery Tracker from CGA.

Beer sales held up best, down 36% on Saturday and 43% on Sunday on pre-Covid levels.

“Beer’s relatively better showing highlights the struggle of recreating the draught pint experience at home, which has clearly left consumers thirsting for

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that first pint,” observed CGA’s director of client services, Jonny Jones.

Spirits performed roughly in line with the market on Saturday, with sales down 50% on pre-lockdown rates, but had a better day on Sunday, down 45%.

“However, Sunday is not as strong a sales day for spirits in a normal week. So this stronger performance on Sunday is in comparison to a lower base,” Jones added.

Soft drinks sales were down 58% on Saturday and 55% on Sunday.

The figures come from CGA’s new Drinks Recovery Tracker which compares the average daily drinks sales per site to the market average on the equivalent Saturday and Sunday in 2019, in this case, 6 and 7 July 2019.

The picture of drinks sales in managed pubs and bars in England is broadly in line with the total sales numbers collected by CGA’s Coffer Peach Business Tracker, which Harpers reported on Friday.

A sample of managed bars, restaurants and pubs including Prezzo, Mitchells & Butlers and New World Trading Co, saw overall like-for-like trading drop 45% versus the same weekend last year (Coffer Peach Business Tracker).

According to the Drinks Recovery Tracker, total drinks sales in managed pubs and bars that were open last weekend were down 49% on pre-lockdown levels on Saturday and 52% down on Sunday.

DAILY NEWS

E-commerce firms in high spirits: BigBasket, Amazon, Swiggy and Zomato foray into alcohol delivery

Financial Express By: Devika Singh July 13, 2020

INDIA - Start-ups such as HipBar, Drinkify and Liqhub tried their hands at alcohol delivery in the past, but hit regulatory hurdles

Alcohol delivery is emerging as the next big thing in India’s e-commerce scene. BigBasket and Amazon recently acquired licences for delivering alcohol in West Bengal. Food aggregators Swiggy and Zomato are already offering alcohol delivery services in Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal.

This could be a lucrative business for e-commerce companies as several states continue to be under lockdown and consumers are wary of visiting liquor stores to buy alcohol, given the risks involved. Start-ups such as HipBar, Drinkify and Liqhub tried their hands at alcohol delivery in the past, but hit regulatory hurdles.

However, in view of the huge losses incurred by state governments during the lockdown — according to a report by the Reserve Bank of India, on average, Indian states collected Rs 15,000 crore per month as excise duty on alcohol in 2019-20 — regulations have been eased. This has attracted interest among several e-commerce companies eyeing the alcohol business in India, which Statista estimates is valued at Rs 2.4 lakh crore.

Prepping the tech

E-commerce firms venturing into this space are busy developing technology for age verification, which is critical from a regulatory compliance standpoint. Zomato has adopted a two-step verification process for ascertaining the age of the user, while Swiggy has developed an AI-based face recognition feature with OTP to automate age verification and user authentication.

“We have mandated a one-time instant age verification followed by a selfie of the customer. The integrated solution instantly digitises the customer’s identity card, checks if the customer’s selfie matches with the picture on the card, and then checks if the customer is really present in it or if it is a photo of a photo,” says a Swiggy spokesperson. The company has also introduced a crowd control feature for the safety of its delivery partners, which ensures there is no overcrowding at the retail stores during peak hours.

These companies are tying up with authorised retailers in specific cities for delivery. Zomato, for instance, has a total of 250 retailers on board so far, and has plans to partner with all the authorised government retailers in the cities where it is active.

Although these e-commerce players are in talks with other states to scale up their services, at the moment, their focus is on getting the processes right. “Alcohol delivery is complex, involving multiple stakeholders — governments, retailers, and brands — and strict operating guidelines. These are early days and it faces challenges typical to any new

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category, such as technology adoption by suppliers, stock availability, etc,” says Rakesh Ranjan, VP – Zomato.

Bottlenecks

Devangshu Dutta, chief executive, Third Eyesight, says following the diverse regulatory guidelines will not be easy for these companies. “Since every state has its own set of rules, adhering to them will be challenging for the companies entering this space, especially when they are eyeing pan-India operations.”

Zomato and Swiggy, on average, are charging Rs 60-100 per order for delivery, depending on the order size and distance covered. The Odisha government has fixed the delivery fee at Rs 100 for orders up to Rs 1,000, and beyond that for every Rs 500, charges go up by Rs 25, with a ceiling of Rs 300 on delivery charges.

Ankur Pahwa, partner and national leader – e-commerce and consumer internet, EY India, says a “reasonable” delivery fee is critical in the adoption of this service. “A customer buying 10 bottles of beer would not mind shelling out Rs 100 as delivery fee, but someone buying one or two products may not want to spend as much on delivery.”

He foresees that food aggregators would benefit from the impulse purchases, while grocery players would see planned orders coming their way, when customers are looking at stocking up for the month.

Rajat Wahi, partner, Deloitte India, says that these companies could expand into alcohol distribution going ahead, which, so far, has been tightly controlled by the states. “Currently, there are only 86,000 alcohol stores in the country, as compared to 10-12 million FMCG retailers. Distribution is the bigger play here,” he adds.

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