I guess I was wrong, they never shut the liquor stores down yet in NS, but the drunks are clearly panicking in anticipation, the bars and restaurants are closed! They might need to buy a home brewing kit or learn to make shine, if they want a drink. You thought the toilet paper panic was something...
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Alcohol sales soar amid panic buying, and officials face hard choices
Liquor is viewed by many as non-essential, but cutting some people off could be fatal
Richard Cuthbertson · CBC News · Posted: Mar 20, 2020 4:41 PM AT | Last Updated: March 20
People line up outside an NSLC store in Halifax on Tuesday after the Crown corporation announced it was reducing its hours. (Brett Ruskin/CBC)
Some provinces are weighing whether to keep liquor stores open during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the decision is fraught with complications that include serious health questions.
Public health officials who may contemplate shutting down retail outlets are faced with several dilemmas, ranging from the huge pre-closure lineups that could result during a time of social distancing, to the significant and even fatal dangers of alcohol withdrawal.
The Nova Scotia Liquor Corp.
this week instituted reduced hours to allow for more cleaning and is limiting how many people are allowed in stores at one time.
Alcohol sales in Nova Scotia subsequently tripled amid panic buying. But the NSLC has given no indication it plans to close locations, although spokesperson Beverley Ware acknowledged Friday things are "very fluid."
"This is really an unprecedented situation," she said in an interview, noting the Crown corporation is following the guidance of public health officials.
NLSC stores have seen a rush on purchasing amid incorrect "rumours" of impending closures, Ware said. Alcohol sales for the week are up an astounding 216 per cent over the same week last year, she said, and cannabis sales are 110 per cent higher.
Nova Scotia public health officials have ordered businesses ranging from bars to hair salons
to shut down in an effort to slow the spread of the virus, and on Friday announced
there are now 15 confirmed and presumed COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia.
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