Spare a thought for a few choice Perthonalities right now, who not only scrambled to get back across the border before the Government closed them off, but are now being faced with a string of booze buying limitations put in place by WA authorities in a bid to curtail coronavirus panic buying.

From this morning, people across Western Australia will be severely limited in the quantity of alcohol they can scoop up at the bottle shop, with thirsty punters being limited to – in most cases – one slab of beer per customer per day.

The new restrictions are part of sweeping clamp downs that various State Government authorities are putting in place in a bid to not only restrict social movement, but to ensure supply lines remain full and that people in isolation can access the goods they require.

The restrictions will see punters limited to the following daily amounts:

three bottles of wine

one carton of beer, cider, or premix spirits

one litre of spirits

one litre of fortified wine

Customers will be able to purchase across two of those categories once per day, meaning the daily maximum for anyone in WA right now is a carton of beer and three bottles of wine, or a carton of UDLs and a litre bottle of whiskey, for example.

The new restrictions are already in place, having been largely sprung on bottle shop and off-license vendors this morning, and are set to run for at least the next two weeks with a view to extending them should the coronavirus crisis worsen in that time.

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan stated these specific restrictions were an attempt to ease any external pressure on the state’s health system as it braces for an influx of COVID-19 patients over the coming days.

“These are extraordinary times, and every Western Australian needs to play their part. They are temporary and sensible measures that will help ensure our State is in a strong position to respond to COVID-19. Alcohol-related issues take up an enormous amount of resources in our health system. These are resources we simply cannot afford to spare during this time,” Premier McGowan stated.

The announcement comes on the heels of a wave of panic buying that swept Australian bottle shops over the weekend as the Government announcement broader social shutdown measures.