Liquor shops in Ghaziabad to open from May 5 after dry spell of over 40 days

New Delhi: Wine and beer shops in Ghaziabad will open from Tuesday (May 5, 2020) after over 40 days of dry spell due to the coronavirus lockdown across the country. The district administration has prepared a list of shops that will open from Tuesday. 

The timing for the liquor shops to function has been set between 10 am to 7 pm. 

The administration has also issued strict guidelines which would include:

- More than five customers will not be able to go to the liquor store at one time.

- A face mask will be mandatory for shopkeepers and customers. 

- There will be no facility for drinking liquor at retail shops and model shops.

- The canteens inside the shop will remain closed. 

The people living in the COVID-19 hotspot areas in Ghaziabad will have to wait longer to get alcohol as the doors of the beer and wine shops will remain shut in such areas.

The liquor shops across the country were re-opened on Monday where the customers were also seen breaking the social distancing norms, forcing authorities to shut the stores in some places. Many places like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Lucknow also witnessed chaotic queues outside the government-run alcohol shops.

On the other hand, Karnataka on Monday collected over 45 crores through its first-day liquor sale.