All liquor shops, other than ones in containment zones, will reopen from Monday. At the beginning of the lockdown, liquor shops were open, but when the government was criticised for it, they were closed.
Closure of shops caused loss of revenue, on the one hand, and the sale of illicit liquor increased, on the other hand.
The excise commissioner on Saturday issued a circular to all collectors to reopen the liquor shops.
The collectors have been told to keep the shops open till 7pm according to the Central government guidelines.
Nevertheless, the timing to close the liquor shops is 11:30 pm, but the shop owners have been told to follow the Centre’s guidelines.
The excise department has told the collectors to issue e-passes to the directors of the liquor shops and to their employees.
Cinema halls to remain closed
The commercial tax department has issued an order to keep cinema halls closed till May 17. The Central government has also not allowed opening of multiplexes and cinema halls.
