Amusing how liquor stores were deemed essential service, at least here in Canada

It's not amusing; it's reflective of the fact that severe alcohol withdrawal can kill, or easily put you in the ICU, which isn't great when we need ICU capacity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_withdrawal_syndrome

> In the Western world about 15% of people have problems with alcoholism at some point in time. About half of people with alcoholism will develop withdrawal symptoms upon reducing their use, with four percent developing severe symptoms. Among those with severe symptoms up to 15% die.

I was really surprised to hear about alcohol bans in eg South Africa for this reason. It’s a terrible idea and dangerous for no real gain that I can discern.

Reinforces my point. Heavy drinking is essential.