They have to consider alcoholics- there are a lot of people out there that would definitely undergo withdrawals if they couldn't drink for a day. The worst of them can *die* from seizures and other withdrawal symptoms, so if they're going cold turkey they need to be hospitalized.... which during a "pandemic" is something you want to avoid, right? Limit the number of boozehounds who call begging for an ambulance because they're dying from withdrawals by giving them an amount of alcohol that is considered to be "enough to stave off withdrawals for the majority of alcoholics".