Liquor Shops To Open In Some States From Tomorrow, Odisha Undecided

With the Union government allowing some relaxations in Lockdown 3.0, which starts on May 4, standalone liquor shops will open in some states at places which are not classified as containment zones.

Among states which have permitted liquor shops to be opened are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Chhattisgarh.

The Odisha government, which has earned praise from the Centre for its handling of the Covid-19  crisis in the state, has not yet taken a decision on reopening liquor shops.

However, the Ganjam administration on Sunday issued an order to keep liquor shops closed during the lockdown extension period starting Monday. Bhang shops and liquor bottling units under Berhampur Excise District will also remain closed.

On Friday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) allowed the sale of non-essential items but with a few conditions. The MHA order said that alcohol shops that fall under the Orange and Green zones will be allowed to open as long as they maintain social-distancing norms and with no more than six people being allowed to queue up at a time.

In UP, the Yogi Adityanath government has announced that standalone liquor and beer shops located in Orange and Green zones will be allowed to function from Monday, the timings being 10 am to 7 pm. Norms and guidelines have to be followed strictly.