In India, many states have gone on record to say that they want that they want to lift the ban on the sale of liquor during the coronavirus lockdown. Some states have already done that. However, the new lockdown guidelines issued by the Centre have reiterated that there should be complete ban on the sale of liquor.
States may be constrained with the new advisory issued invoking the Disaster Management Act of 2005. This says that the district authorities have to ensure compliance. But the state governments are running out of money to sustain their fight against novel coronavirus, and alcohol sales are a good source state revenue – about 25 per cent of all.
There have been reports about the rise in the sale of illicit liquor from many parts across the country. In some other cases, the lockdown and the subsequent unavailability of alcohol has caused medical issues for some drinkers.
Health experts fear people are developing new drinking patterns that could lead to higher rates of alcohol use disorder.
And despite circulating myths, drinking alcohol doesn’t protect against COVID-19. The truth is that it can increase the risk for pneumonia and acute respiratory stress syndromes, both complications of COVID-19, and other health conditions like sepsis, alcoholic liver disease and certain cancers.
A 2015 research review article in the journal Alcohol Research: Current Reviews—established that “clinicians have long observed an association between excessive alcohol consumption and the adverse immune-related effects such as susceptibility of pneumonia.” The researchers also noted that those immune-related effects have recently “been expanded to a greater likelihood of [ARDS] in addition to potentially complicating a variety of other health issues.”
At times of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, alcohol consumption can exacerbate health vulnerability, risk-taking behaviors, mental health issues and violence,” the WHO said in a statement.
WHO’s Factsheet
As part of its public health response to COVID-19, WHO has worked with partners to develop a factsheet which addresses myths and provides guidance during the pandemic: “Alcohol and COVID-19: what you need to know”.
Fear and misinformation have generated a dangerous myth that consuming high-strength alcohol can kill the COVID-19 virus. It does not. Consuming any alcohol poses health risks, but consuming high-strength ethyl alcohol (ethanol), particularly if it has been adulterated with methanol, can result in severe health consequences, including death.
Alcohol consumption is associated with a range of communicable and noncommunicable diseases and mental health disorders, which can make a person more vulnerable to COVID-19. In particular, alcohol compromises the body’s immune system and increases the risk of adverse health outcomes. Therefore, people should minimize their alcohol consumption at any time, and particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alcohol is a psychoactive substance that is associated with mental disorders; people at risk or who have an alcohol-use disorder, are particularly vulnerable, especially when in self-isolation. Medical and treatment services need to be alert and ready to respond to any person in need.
Restricting alcohol access during the COVID-19 pandemic
Alcohol is responsible for 3 million deaths a year worldwide, a third of which occur in the WHO European Region. Not only is this the region with the highest alcohol intake and the highest prevalence of drinkers in the population, but it is also the region with the highest prevalence of alcohol use disorders in the population and the highest share of deaths caused by alcohol, among all deaths.
“Alcohol is consumed in excessive quantities in the European Region, and leaves too many victims. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we should really ask ourselves what risks we are taking in leaving people under lockdown in their homes with a substance that is harmful both in terms of their health and the effects of their behaviour on others, including violence,” says Carina Ferreira-Borges, Programme Manager, Alcohol and Illicit Drugs Programme, WHO/Europe.
Existing rules and regulations to protect health and reduce harm caused by alcohol, such as restricting access, should be upheld and even reinforced during the COVID-19 pandemic and emergency situations; while any relaxation of regulations or their enforcement should be avoided.
