By the end of August, a third phase starts with alcohol consumption steadily decreasing again. At that time, the Dutch government announced a renewed tightening of the measures due to the increasing number of infections (#3 in Fig. 1). By mid-October, a ban on alcohol sales between 8 pm and 7 am was enacted (#4), as alcohol consumption was considered to be hindering the compliance with social distancing rules. Results show that alcohol consumption decreased throughout the autumn, reaching its lowest levels after the Christmas season. In January 2021 the lockdown measures were tightened again and a curfew was imposed (#6), due to the rising concern about the spread of new virus variants.
