Breaking: TN Government decides to open TASMAC wine shops from May 7th!

The Central Government had decided to relax some lockdown norms across the country, despite the third phase of the nation-wide lockdown being enforced from May 4th to May 17th! This caused a number of states to allow the opening of the wine shops and there was unprecedented rush in most places, on the opening day, today (May 4th). However, wine shops in Tamil Nadu remained closed and the State Government had not given any directive on this, so far. We also witnessed cases where people in bordering districts of Tamil Nadu, crossing borders to obtain liquour from neighbouring states, where the wine shops had opened. Now, there is some good news for alcohol enthusiasts in Tamil Nadu!

The Tamil Nadu State Government has announced that the TASMAC liquor shops would be reopened on May 7th! However, the shops which function in Containment Zones would remain closed, till further notice. Also, the Government has requested that people follow social distancing norms to prevent the spread of the Corona Virus. This decision to reopen the liquor shops across the country has come in for a lot of questioning from many quarters as the COVID-19 Novel Corona Virus Pandemic is continuing to spread unchecked and the numbers in TN are going up steadily. The TASMAC wine shops have to follow some guidelines including maintaining a distance of 6 feet between customers. The shops would be open from 10:00 am till 5:00 pm. There would be requisite security people at all shops and based on demand, there would be sufficient employees at the shops. However, permission has not been given for any bars or pubs to be opened!