The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board has banned every business with a liquor license from serving alcohol after 11:00 p.m. in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Enforcement of the new rule will begin Saturday, August 1. The serving of alcohol must cease at 11:00 p.m. and the consumption of alcohol on-premises must stop by 11:30.

“Our hope is that reduced hours of alcohol service will decrease social gatherings and the transmission of COVID-19,” ABC Board administrator Mac Gipson said in a statement.

“We are very sensitive to the economic impact this rule will have. This is a gut-wrenching decision we are making today, but it is also gut-wrenching to see the number of Alabamians who are suffering from this disease,” commented ABC Board chair Col. Alan Spencer in a statement.

“This will be a very short duration and will relieve this restriction as soon as possible,” added Spencer.

The ABC Board decision comes as some states with high rates of coronavirus transmission such as Texas and Florida have closed bars or placed a temporary ban on them selling alcohol.

“By adopting this emergency rule, the ABC Board is ensuring customers and businesses the ability to continue operating in a semi-normal fashion by reducing the hours of on-premises alcohol service,” the agency said in a release on Monday.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95