Liquor shops in Tamil Nadu to be reopened on May 7

B Sivakumar | TNN | Updated: May 4, 2020, 20:26 IST

A Tasmac liquor shop (File photo)

CHENNAI: Liquor shops in Tamil Nadu will be reopened on May 7, in areas where Covid-19 is under control. The shops will function between 10am and 5pm, said a press release issued by the state government on Monday evening.
“Shops in the hot spots will not be opened. But in other areas, they will be opened with some precautions,” said a statement issued by the government on Monday evening.
The precautions are: There must be no crowding outside the shops, there must be social distancing of not less than six metre between two customers, five people must not be at a spot near the shop at the same time, security outside each shop will be increased and more workers will be appointed at each shop.
Even though shops will be opened, no permission has been given to open bars near the shops, said the statement.
The government has lost not less than Rs 90 crore each day due to the closure of the liquor shops in the wake of the lockdown.
“Since the lockdown from March 25, all Tasmac shops have been closed to prevent spreading of Covid-19. But now as the neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have reopened the liquor shops, people living on the state borders are going to the shops there and it has become a problem in preventing people from crossing the border. Therefore, the government has decided to reopen the shops,” said the statement.