Some bar and shebeen owners at Keetmanshoop on Friday staged a peaceful demonstration calling for the review of the COVID-19 regulations that prohibit the sale of alcohol on weekends. The current regulation announced by President Hage Geingob last week prohibits bars and shebeens to serve alcohol on an onsite basis from Monday to Friday between 09h00 and 18h00 while they remain closed on Saturday and Sunday. The group in their detailed petition handed over to the ||Kharas governor’s office demanded that government permits them to sell alcohol on an onsite consumption basis from Mondays to Saturdays between 09h00 to 22h00 and on Sundays from 14h00 to 20h00. “We also want jackpots, pool games and jukeboxes within bars and shebeens permitted to operate in order to save the economy,” read the petition, highlighting that their assets are being repossessed due to non-payment while retrenchments are the order of the day. “We the business people are so far very thankful and appreciate what government has done and still does to safeguard the lives of Namibians from this deadly pandemic we find ourselves in and we are equally happy that other sectors such as restaurants, hotels, casinos, nightclubs and others are now allowed to operate and sell alcoholic beverages on site, but why not bars and shebeens too,” questioned the group. The group said their request should not be seen as if they want to defy the COVID-19 regulations citing that their businesses are on the verge of total collapse. The group said they expect the governor to give feedback on their request within five working days. Receiving the petition on behalf of the governor Aletha Frederick was her personal assistant, Adnaan Boois, who promised the group that he would ensure that the petition reaches the governor.