Accessibility of ‘essential’ alcohol in the time of COVID‐19: Casting light on the blind spots of licensing?

Abstract

Among the Australian and UK governments' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic has been the designation of outlets selling alcohol for off-premise consumption as 'essential' services, allowing them to remain open while pubs, hotels and restaurants have been forced to close. In a context of restrictions on movement outside the home in both countries, and where alcohol providers are trying to find new ways to reach their customers, this may lead to an intensification of the social and health harms associated with home drinking. By examining the current situation in both Australia and the UK, we argue that heightened risks from home drinking amid COVID-19 bring into sharp focus long-standing weaknesses within licensing systems in both countries: the regulation of off-premise outlets to minimise harms from drinking at home. We call for critical conversations on how licensing systems should be revised to take more responsibility for protecting people from the health and social harms associated with home drinking, both under COVID-19 and in the future. [Reynolds J, Wilkinson C. Accessibility of 'essential' alcohol in the time of COVID-19: Casting light on the blind spots of licensing?. Drug Alcohol Rev 2020;39: [305][306][307][308]

Online news coverage on relaxation of alcohol sales during lockdown following COVID-19 in India: missing the forest for the trees?

“…This was true irrespective of the support for the online sales and home delivery of alcohol in the news reports. There is evidence from countries such as the UK or Australia that has reported negative effects or harms of excessive home-drinking resulting from policy decisions such as allowing off-premises sales, online ordering, and home delivery of alcohol (Keating, 2020;Reynolds & Wilkinson, 2020). The World Health Organization issued a public health advisory warning against the harms of increased alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic (World Health Organization News, 2020).…”

COVID-19 and addiction

“…Expert has cautioned over possibility of increased frequency of smoking among current smokers and greater chance of relapse among ex-smokers [52]. Increased frequency of home drinking and cigarette smoking (secondhand smoke) increases the likelihood of direct negative impact on family members, especially children [47,53].…”

Family violence against children in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic: a review of current perspectives and risk factors

“…Parental alcohol consumption at home (as a result of the closure of pubs, bars and hotels) in order to manage stress and tension can also contribute to increasing violence against children [47], as can the presence of pre-existing mental disorders in parents and the lack of monitoring or medication [48]. Parents are under stress and the COVID-19 is changing family life [49]: children are out of school or childcare, and do not have access to group activities, team sports, or playgrounds.…”