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The coronavirus pandemic has brought the world as we know it to a screeching halt. We are all on lockdown, there are no sports on television, shows and movies are shutting down production, so we are left with plenty of time on our hands and nothing to do.
Enter booze.
According to research from Nielsen, alcohol sales in the United States have surged by 55 percent during the outbreak as everyone powers through the boredom with their beer and liquor of choice. Spirits increased by 75 percent, wine sales are up 66 percent, and beer sales jumped 42 percent.
“I suspect that the week ending March 21st will feature the strongest growth rates that we will see during this consumer pantry-loading time,” Nielsen’s vice president of beverage alcohol practice, Danelle Kosmal, told the Drinks Business.
“Data for the week ending 28 March will be very telling, and I think it will be a better indicator of the new normal in how consumers are responding to the crisis and their new normal, centered around the home.”
At least one industry is doing well.
The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 3,000 deaths in the United States which surpasses the death toll of the September 11 terrorist in New York City — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
