In the news release, COVID-19 Alcohol Deregulation Should Not Become the New Normal, issued 25-Aug-2020 by Alcohol Justice over PR Newswire, we are advised by the company that the Zoom Call hyperlink therein has been updated since distribution. The complete, corrected release follows:
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Health and community advocates from around the country are holding a virtual press event Wednesday, August 26, 2020, to send strong messages to the nation's Governors that #COVID19 alcohol deregulations are dangerous, place alcohol industry profits above public health and safety, and must not become the new normal.
What: Virtual Press Event with 2nd channel simultaneous Spanish translation
When: Wednesday August 26, 2020, 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (PT)
Where: Zoom Call ? media only, pre-registration required
Streaming live to the general public on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter
Who:
Why: As the Coronavirus continues to rage across the United States, alcohol-related health problems are also on the rise. Alcohol consumption has increased dramatically under COVID as deregulation has made it easier than ever to purchase. This indicates a serious failure by many state Governors and top state agencies to acknowledge and address public health and safety concerns by often declaring alcohol sales "essential" during the pandemic. The catastrophic annual alcohol-related harms that already plague the country have for the most part been dismissed along with the rise in those harms being experienced now that alcohol was deemed essential.
In many states, public health and safety have taken a back seat to "economic recovery", and the drivers of this dangerous alcohol deregulation are GUI - Government Under the Influence. Since the beginning of the pandemic shutdown, under the dubious guise of economic relief, states have deregulated and relaxed enforcement to help alcohol licensed establishments continue to operate. These dangerous, revenue-driven policy changes have promoted increased alcohol sales and consumption during the stay-at-home orders. They include allowing home deliveries with ineffective age verification, cocktails-to-go, expanding sales into public spaces, and the normalization of drinking during a public health emergency of massive proportions.
The participants in this virtual press briefing will discuss the negative impacts of COVID-19 alcohol deregulation in their states and some of the harms associated with increased alcohol consumption: impaired judgement, financial difficulties, increasing domestic violence, increasing vulnerability to Coronavirus by weakening the immune system, and the general negative effects on mental health.
This event launches a national CALL to ACTION to give constituents of all states a channel to send messages to their Governors asking them to closely re-examine their state's relationship with alcohol, acknowledge that excessive alcohol use is No. 3 on the list of preventable causes of death, and insure that alcohol deregulation is not the new normal by ending COVID-19 regulatory rollbacks for economic relief as soon as possible. It's time to make public health essential, not public drinking.
Please submit questions for speakers ahead of time to [email protected]
CONTACT: Michael Scippa 415 548-0492
Jorge Castillo 213 840-3336
SOURCE Alcohol Justice
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