Tallinn Health Committee Wants to Ban Alcohol Sale on Sundays
The Health Committee of Tallinn City Council has proposed a ban on selling alcohol in Tallinn on Sundays.
The extended committee meeting on Tuesday focused on alcohol abuse, claimed to be increasing, its prevention and access to alcohol-containing products by youth. Mayor of Tallinn Edgar Savisaar, who opened the meeting and is in charge of the committee, said that authorities cannot stop people from drinking, but they can make it harder to buy and consume alcoholic beverages.
To this end, the Health Committee says it plans to appeal to City Council to ban the sale of all alcoholic beverages in shops on Sunday, institute restrictions within a 300-meter radius of all schools and children's centers, and mandate the closing of restaurants by 24:00 on Sundays.
According to a survey conducted by the Estonian Institute of Economic Research, which studied alcohol consumption among Estonian schoolchildren, 66 percent of boys and 55 percent of girls have tried an alcoholic beverage and 28 percent have been drunk before the age of 14.