So, lockdown has infected many with habits like imbibing, jogging

It is frightening to think of the new drinkers who have been recruited into daily imbibing during the lockdown. ILLUSTRATION | JOHN NYAGA | NMG 

In Summary

• Very sad also that many people, who for spiritual and reasons of religious doctrine are opposed to alcohol, have become addicted after weeks of inhaling the ‘nice’ fumes of the sanitisers.

By JOACHIM BUWEMBO
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When the coronavirus gets defeated or at least tamed, there may be some tough situations to contend with arising out of the current measures like the lockdowns and sanitisation.

In Uganda, for example, we are likely to face higher levels of alcoholism in the post Covid-19 era than we ever knew before.

Accurate statistics may not be easy to access because the few organisations that may have them, like beer making firms may not part with them easily, that is if they even admit to having them. But almost everyone can tell a noticeable difference in alcohol consumption patterns.

First of all, during the lockdown when people are not going to work, some of have them been spending more hours drinking.

Lockdown is mainly about movement and does not affect some services. Among the services not affected is the manufacture and wholesale of beer and other alcoholic drinks.

So while bars are not allowed to open to drinking customers, selling alcohol was not stopped. Shops and supermarkets continue to get their supplies from the wholesale/ agents’ depots, and the customers continue to buy any amounts they need during the day for consumption at home anytime around the clock.

And guess what, booze bought in the supermarket or any shop is definitely cheaper than that bought in a bar. That is an incentive to drinking at home, which is really hard to subject to self-control, unlike in a club or pub where your conduct is controlled by the presence friends, strangers and management.

And people have really been drinking in their homes, yet stopping the habit may not take a mere announcement like declaring the lockdown.

And who said closing the bars is the same as stopping them from operating? Everybody knows that the smaller neighbourhood bars have continued operating— with their front doors closed. The patrons just get locked inside and drink their stuff as usual, the only difference being absence of music and keeping the conversation voices low.

The locking-in process is done in different ways, including locking the door from outside with big padlocks which a collaborator with the keys opens when called on phone by those inside.

Social distance and good aeration as required to minimise the spread of respiratory infections are not the priority.

It is also frightening to think of the new drinkers who have been recruited into daily imbibing during the lockdown. Think of the innocent wives who were teetotallers until the husbands who had been drinking outside the house got tied up in the house and started sharing drinks with them!

It started off with small amounts which started increasing due to the lack of things to do and is now approaching or is already at addiction status.

Another necessary evil in the anti-coronavirus war has been the alcohol-based sanitisers. To be effective, these have to be at least 60 per cent alcohol.

Many people, actually all users of alcohol-based hand sanitisers have been inhaling is the exciting but addictive fumes of gin, war gin which is otherwise called waragi in Uganda.

Such a person when they tentatively take a sip of the real thing just carry on because the brain and blood are already used to the active ingredient in it.

Very sad also that many people, who for spiritual and reasons of religious doctrine are opposed to alcohol, have become addicted after weeks of inhaling the ‘nice’ fumes of the sanitisers.

I don’t know what the theologians have to say about the numerous Hajjis who have been carrying small bottles of sanitiser sprays in the pockets, bags and cars, when 60 per cent plus of the contents were alcohol.

What about the Christian fundamentalists who have also picked the addiction? They will listen to the fiery preachers castigating and demonising alcohol consumption, knowing in their hearts that they have lost their alcohol virginity and they are hugely liking the kick they get from a tot or two of the clear stuff.

Besides alcohol consumption, very many previously sedentary Ugandans immediately embraced ‘jogging’ when the partial lockdown was announced.

People have also started going to the vehicle-free roads to walk and some actually jog. Police started breaking up the groups as they violated the recommended, actually mandatory social distancing.

But you cannot stop an individual from jogging, and once they are out there, you cannot have a policeman watching over every jogger. So, the outings on foot are a new habit people have picked and this may not augur well for family stability if the couples do not go ‘jogging’ together.

And so on and so forth.

Joachim Buwembo is a Kampala-based journalist. E-mail: buwembo@gmail.com