The state of Karnataka has extended the ban on liquor sales and manufacturing even after the 21-day nationwide lockdown. As per the excise department order, the sale of liquor has been banned until the 20th of April.
The mission to curb the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak in India has continued to go on as the nationwide lockdown was extended until the 3rd of May. The Sale of liquor, too, continues to remain banned across the nation despite repeated requests and several cases of withdrawal symptoms.
Strict action against those who violate rules
An order was issued by the state Excise Department that notified the distilleries which were manufacturing sanitizers can continue without any hindrance but it strictly warned against preparing any consumable alcohol. The order also warned that licenses will be suspended if any shops violated the guidelines. Excise Minister H Nagesh spoke to Deccan Herald where he said that it is impossible to propose the relaxation on the ban of alcohol as the Prime Minister himself has asked to follow the lockdown strictly.
Prior to the extension of the lockdown, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had mentioned the possibility of lifting the ban after the 15th of April. This had also led to the speculation among the public that the sale of liquor in private retail shops and government-owned Mysore Sales International Limited shops. The liquor vendor associations had written to the state government to allow them to run the shops for at least a few hours or even allow home delivery options that would also not violate social distancing.
However, On Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation and announced the extension of the nationwide lockdown amid the rise of coronavirus cases in the country. Chief Minister Yediyurappa welcomed the Prime Minister’s decision and said that the state would promptly follow the guidelines of the center.
As per the guidelines, the rules of the lockdown will be stricter until the 20th of April. The situation will be closely observed the situation in various hotspots on the country and if the region holds well in the duration, there might be few relaxations in that region.
Source: The News Minute
