Decreased beer consumption in the Czech Republic due to the Coronavirus

The Czech Beer Authority said today, Tuesday, that beer consumption in the Czech Republic, the world’s largest per capita drink consumer, was severely affected by the Coronavirus last year.

The Czech Beer Industry Association said the amount each person consumes annually on average has decreased by 7 liters (14.8 pints) to 135 liters (285 pints).

It is the lowest number since the 1960s, according to the federation.

Frantisek Samal, the union’s president, said as many as 500 bars have been forced to close permanently, and hundreds more are expected to follow suit this year.

“I don’t remember a time when the bars and restaurants were in such a crisis,” said Small.

Bars and restaurants were closed for months after the epidemic hit the country in March last year, and the ban on drinking alcohol in public places and the cancellation of sporting, cultural and other events contributed to the decline.

Total beer production in the country decreased 6.9% to 20.1 billion liters (531 million gallons). Beer exports dropped 38 million liters to about 500 million liters, the first drop after nine years of growth.

The Czech Republic has been one of the European countries hardest hit by the epidemic. The country of 10.7 million has recorded more than 1.6 million cases of COVID-19 and 28,640 deaths.