Cape Town – It’s only been four days since the sale of alcohol resumed across the country and the Western Cape Health Department said on Thursday that it was already feeling the effects of the decision in trauma wards.
The sale of alcohol is permitted under lockdown level 3 but only from Monday to Thursday between 9am and 5pm.
Groote Schuur reported a massive drop in trauma admissions, with the numbers dropping almost tho thirds, during the first few weeks of level five lockdown
Less than a week since the alcohol was reintroduced in the mix, things are going back to normal.
The head of health in the Western Cape Dr. Keith Cloete said that alcohol-related traumas included contact crimes and car crashes and more often than not they require serious interventions.
“Because there are some severe injuries, we, therefore, need to have access to ICU and that’s where the big challenge comes,” said Cloete.
Cloete has appealed to drinkers to indulge responsibly and think about the effects their choices have on others, especially as the province faces a second crisis in the form of Covid-19.
