The minister also said shebeens, taverns, gyms and other areas where people congregated in large numbers would remain closed.
Louw said: “As usual with all rushed and ill-conceived regulations, the law of unintended consequences is at play. As at the end of April, Treasury has lost in excess R300m in excise duty from tobacco products, and the illicit trade has been handed the market on a plate and is charging extortionate prices. People have not stopped smoking. Government has turned 11-million smokers into criminals overnight”.
“Where is the evidence that tobacco products increase the spread of Covid-19, or why tobacco products are singled out when other goods are shared, such as food and drinks, or communal toilets? Why aren’t they banning sugar since studies of Chinese Covid-19 patients shows the death rate was three times higher in patients with diabetes?” asked Louw.
Dlamini-Zuma’s spokesperson declined to comment on the minister’s recommendations around tobacco and alcohol to the coronavirus national command council.
By TimesLIVE and Iavan Pijoos
Source:TimesLIVE