Bars attached to the Tami Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) will reopen from Tuesday by adhering to Covid-19 precautions, according to a government order on Monday night.
Tamil Nadu issued a standard operating procedure with a list of precautionary measures including checking saturation levels using digital pulse oximeters at the bar entrance. Only 50% of the seating capacity has been allowed and masks and social distancing are mandated for employees and patrons.
Liquor sales from TASMAC are a major source of revenue for the state’s exchequer which was Rs 31,158 crore during the financial year 2018-19.
The bars were closed in March owning to the Covid-19 pandemic but liquor sales were permitted from May across the state except in Chennai and adjoining Chengalpettu districts where there were a high number of positive coronavirus cases. The shops were permitted in the city from August onwards.
Meanwhile, BJP workers belonging to the constituency of Chennai’s Harbour on Monday protested against the closure of a TASMAC shop in the neighbourhood. The workers alleged that the liquor shop was near a temple and hospital and it disturbed people. They were detained in a community hall for protesting without permission and violating Covid-19 norms and were let off later.