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- Australia is limiting how much alcohol some residents can consume while in COVID-19 lockdown
- The New South Wales health department has placed a daily cap on how many drinks people living in some public housing complexes in Sydney can consume
- Read more booze news here
Last March, I learned quite a bit about my priorities in life when I spent more money to amass the stockpile of booze I was relying on to help me weather a lockdown stemming from the arrival of COVID-19 than I dropped on the nonperishables everyone else was scrambling to scoop up at the time.
It turned out to be all for naught, as the state of New York was kind enough to classify liquor stores as “essential businesses.” That turned out to be very helpful, as I eventually discovered A) I severely underestimated how quickly I’d make my way through my collection and B) the whole “pandemic” thing didn’t blow over as quickly as most of us hoped.
The lockdowns that brought many cities in the United States to a standstill seem to be a thing of the past in America. However, the same cannot be said for Australia, as the country continues to restrict the movements of many of its residents after harnessing the “COVID zero” strategy it’s elected to employ in an attempt to stop the potential spread of the virus after cases are detected.
As things currently stand, people living in the states of Victoria and New South Wales are facing a curfew and travel restrictions, but according to News Corp, some residents in Sydney are being subjected to a particularly draconian measure: a limit on the amount of alcohol they’re allowed to consume.
The outlet reports NSW Health has been given the authority to institute measures it deems necessary in the public housing complexes it governs, which includes a cap on how much booze the people who live in them can possess. The policy—which was instituted to “ensure the safety of health staff and residents”—means drinkers have to make do with a daily ration in the form of a six-pack of beer, a single bottle of wine, or 375 milliliters of hard liquor (although they can consult with a doctor if they feel they need more).
Some residents also claim they’ve been subjected to bag searches and had care packages containing excess amounts of alcohol confiscated by officials who are seemingly intent on making the lockdown experience more miserable than it already is.
Do you want a civilian uprising, Australia? Because that’s how you get a civilian uprising.