Australia’s New South Wales region has implemented alcohol controls on residents of buildings currently locked down by the authorities, allegedly seizing any excess booze from deliveries, citing health and safety reasons.
Apartment blocks that are fully locked down by the New South Wales Health authorities, where entire buildings are quarantined due to coronavirus cases present, are now subject to strict limits on the amount of alcohol allowed to be delivered to residents. Those living in the buildings can only purchase six beers or mixed drinks, or one bottle of wine, or one 375ml bottle of spirits a day.
News reports have alleged that police are even confiscating any alcohol that falls over the excess limits. Residents of an apartment block run by Mission Australia, a social housing organization, have even claimed that care parcels sent from friends and family are being searched. “They are searching all bags and things coming into the building… They confiscated a series of gifts,” said Robin Elhaj, a resident of the MA’s Common Ground apartment block. “So things like bottles of spirits, we weren’t allowed to have those and we still (aren’t).”
A spokeswoman for the Sydney Local Health District confirmed that New South Wales Health had instituted the restrictions when they took over the apartment, in order to “ensure the safety of health staff and residents.” However, there are no restrictions on alcohol within NSW’s own public health orders, and there is no reason to suggest what power the Health Department has to therefore enforce such restrictions on the residents. (READ MORE: ‘New World Order’ Trends On Twitter After Australian COVID Czar Describes Contract Tracing ‘In The New World Order’)
The NSW Police also denied that they were confiscating any alcohol, and that they have no powers to do. “In all residential lockdown locations, NSW Police are there to ensure compliance with the Public Health Orders and assist NSW Health if required,” a spokeswoman said.
Australia overall is facing some of the most stringent and authoritarian restrictions in the Western world when dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. As National File reported, the Premier of Queensland has been calling for the government to build more “quarantine facilities” that resemble modern concentration camps. Last week, the Premier of Victoria declared that lockdowns would not be enough, and that people who refuse to take the coronavirus vaccine are “locked out” of normal life.