As Movendi International reported earlier, the Estonian government implemented a night-time alcohol sales ban starting in the night from September 24 to 25. The ban was to be in effect for one month and set to end on October 24. However, the Estonian government has decided to extend the temporary nighttime alcohol sales ban for another month till November 29.
Accordingly alcohol sales will not take place in Estonia between 12:00 midnight and 7:00 AM.
Additionally, the Estonian government is working with lawyers to ensure that bars and nightclubs do not circumvent the nighttime restriction on alcohol sales. This problem is specifically occurring in Tallinn.
The ban was initiated due to the large number of COVID-19 outbreaks which started from bars in Tartu and Ida-Viru counties.
The late night alcohol sales ban by the Estonian government is in line with the recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO) to limit alcohol availability during the pandemic. WHO recommends this because alcohol increases risk of COVID-19 infections in the community and alcohol is known to weaken the immune system and is also linked with many non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that aggravate COVID-19 progression.
