Mumbai, April 21: The Maharashtra government will take the final decision on lifting liquor ban during coronavirus lockdown if social distancing norms are followed. The state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that at present liquor stores are not in the discounted list of shops that will remain open during COVID-19 shutdown. According to the minister, the final decision will be taken only after tightening the rules. No Sale of liquor in Mumbai and Rest of Maharashtra Amid COVID-19 Lockdown, Says State Excise Minister Dilip Walse-Patil.

Tope, while responding to a question during a video press conference, said, “If social distancing is properly maintained, there should not be any ban on liquor shops.” Notably, the state government has not issued any notification in this regard. Maharashtra Cyber Cell Warns People of Fake Social Media Ads on Liquor Sale Amid Lockdown, Tells Citizens Not to Believe in Rumours.

Rajesh Tope's Tweet:

Last week, the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) urged the Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to resume business from distillery to wine stores in a phased manner. In the letter to Thackeray, the CIABC recommended that no retail shop should be manned by more than two salesmen and more than two customers should not be allowed in the walk-in shop.

In Maharashtra, the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,666 on Tuesday. Coronavirus also claimed lives of 232 people in the state. Mumbai is the worst-hit city of Maharashtra. Over 3,000 people have been diagnosed with the deadly virus till now. The death also touched 150 in the Maximum city. Meanwhile, in India, the number of COVID-19 cases crossed 18,000 on Tuesday. The death toll also jumped to 590 in the country.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 21, 2020 01:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).