The Bengal government on Monday allowed liquor shops outside containment zones to open for seven hours from noon and deliver bottles home.
An excise department circular says the relaxation will only apply to standalone off-shops and off-shop counters attached to bars.
Liquor shops in shopping malls or complexes will not be allowed to reopen. Bars will remain closed.
The order covers shops selling both foreign liquor and country spirit.
The order states:
- Ensure a minimum distance of six feet between customers in the queue. Not more than five to be allowed in the queue and volunteers have to be deployed for queue management
- A customer can buy up to two bottles at a time
- Hand sanitisers to be kept at the counter and used after every transaction
- Retail price has to be prominently displayed
- Customers without masks will not be sold liquor
- Only sealed bottles will be sold
Home delivery
Home delivery of liquor has been allowed and retailers and consumers have been urged to opt for it to reduce footfall at stores.
“It is an alternative. But there are also certain challenges like availability of staff, distance between the store and the customer’s house and cost. But from a crowd management perspective, it is a welcome decision,” said a retailer.