Delhi: Private Liquor Shops Open Today On Odd-Even Basis

Private liquor stores in Delhi opened on Saturday after a two-month period following the countrywide lockdown which was imposed on March 24 midnight to check the transmission of the novel coronavirus. The reopening of private liquor shops in the national capital was based on an order issued on Friday by the Excise Department permitting 66 such shops to open from 9 AM to 6:30 pm on an odd-even basis.

If any of these private liquor stores falls within a containment zone in the days to come, it will automatically be shut down. Delhi has close over 385 private liquor stores out of which about 150 are located in malls. As per the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines for lockdown 4.0, liquor shops situated in malls are not permitted to open.

Close to 240 private liquor shops which are not located in containment zones will be opened on an odd-even basis. These shops will have guards to ensure that social distancing is strictly maintained.

Delhi has also been one of the major hotspots of COVID-19 and 660 confirmed cases were reported on Friday taking the total count in the national capital to 12,319. Delhi has recorded 208 deaths so far. Added to the coronavirus pandemic are the searing temperatures in the national capital.