Alcohol ban to fight COVID
Friday 30 April Following a strong increase in infections in Turkey these last weeks, the government has decided to impose a strict lockdown for three weeks. Schools and unessential stores will be closed, and the sale of alcohol will be prohibited. This decision caught the population by surprise. People don’t understand how banning the sale of alcohol could help in the fight against COVID. Consumers fear a long-term ban that could undermine their rights. They use the hashtag #Don’tTouchMyAlcohol on social media. According to Dogan Erkan, a lawyer from Ankara, they must not heed this ban since it has religious goals. According to the Turkish constitution this doesn’t act as a law. These last years, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tried many times to reduce alcohol consumption. Alcohol taxes have been increased and it is very difficult to get a license to sell alcohol. The price of a bottle of raki, the national beverage of Turkey, has been multiplied by four since 2010. ...