Bottle shops across Australia will be clamping down on the amount of alcohol people can buy.
The measure is designed to crack down on panic buying as well as restrict people from developing addictions while in self-isolation.
From today, Liquourland, Vintage Cellars, First Choice, Dan Murphy's, BWS, Aldi and a range of independent retailers will have the following limits on alcohol purchasing:
- Two cases of beer;
- Two cases of cider;
- Two cases of pre-mixed spirits;
- 12 bottles of wine;
- Two casks of wine (not to exceed 10L in total);
- Or two bottles of spirits (not to exceed 2L in total)
That still seems like a decent amount, especially considering you're allowed two categories at the checkout. So you could, hypothetically, buy two cases of beer and 12 bottles of wine in the same transaction.
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Retail Drinks CEO Julie Ryan said: "It was clear that uncertainty on the impact of supply following the closure of pubs, clubs and restaurants last week caused some people to purchase differently.
"These temporary measures will ensure that all consumers can continue to access their favourite drinks when they decide to make a purchase.
She added that the measures will ensure there is enough supply to go around as well as allow retailers to 'do their part to encourage people continuing to purchase alcohol responsibly as they normally would'.
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The World Health Organization has warned people against picking up the bottle during self-isolation.
Dr Aiysha Malik, a technical officer at WHO Europe's mental health and substance abuse department, said using alcohol was an 'unhelpful coping' strategy while you're in lockdown.
Dr Malik says turning to booze 'can make things worse' and can exacerbate problems already there or create addictions that could have been avoided.
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According to the Sydney Morning Herald, there has been a marked increase in the number of sales at bottle shops across Australia.
Commonwealth Bank says alcohol sales have spiked 20 per cent in the week to March 20, compared to the same week last year.
There could be a load of reasons why that has happened, however the timing with people spending more time inside their homes with seemingly not much to do has to be recognised.
There are fears that once restrictions are lifted, people will be trapped in this new cycle of drinking.
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So health authorities are warning people to be mindful of how much they're drinking during this pandemic and look out for your housemates, partners and anyone else you're living with.
Featured Image Credit: Stephen Dann (Flickr)