Caracas, Venezuela – For beer and whiskey-loving Venezuelans, Easter this year won’t be an alcohol-soaked drinking fest.
President Hugo Chavez has imposed a ban on alcohol sales during Holy Week in an attempt to reduce accidents and crimes, prompting a run on liquor stores.
The decree prohibits sales on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. A more limited ban – restricting sales to between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., including at restaurants and bars – went into effect Friday and will last through April 9.
The unprecedented measure confused many Venezuelans who raced to stash up before Friday, thinking that would be their last chance to buy for more than a week.
“People are desperate, above all because the majority found out at the last minute,” said Jose Manuel Fernandes, a liquor store owner in Caracas, as he struggled to meet the demands of dozens of customers.
Venezuela is among the top producers and consumers of beer in Latin America. Whiskey and rum are also popular spirits. Close to 100 deaths and thousands of injuries are reported every year during the Easter holiday, which authorities attribute largely to alcohol consumption.
