After a long wait, tipplers in large number flock to liquor stores in Visakhapatnam

The long wait comes to an end for the alcoholics who have been waiting for over a one-and-a-half-month as liquor sale began on Monday amid the extended lockdown. Standalone outlets in various localities witnessed serpentine queues as customers patiently waited for their turn to bring home the liquor they have been longing to uncork for quite a while.

Though many were seen with masks, the joy of gaining access to the alcohol made them forget about social distancing which is a basic precautionary measure to keep novel coronavirus at bay. Monday seems to be a new dawn for the boozers as they headed to the shops much early only to wait patiently for hours to get their turn to invest in liquor bottles at standalone stores.

Though the government made it clear that social distancing norms will strictly be in place, its enforcement seems to be a far cry as customers barely followed it. Except providing solace to the state's depleting coffers, the rise in the alcohol rate by 25 per cent did not have any impact on the boozers.