Chennai: Liquor Shops Reopen After Nearly 5 Months

Some 800 liquor shops in Chennai reopened today after nearly five months of staying shut amid the coronavirus pandemic. Tokens are to be issued to only 500 customers at each shop. Wearing masks and maintaining social distancing are mandatory. Blaming liquor shops for spike in cases in districts where liquor sale resumed a couple of months ago, the opposition has criticised the state government warning that this move will trigger yet another spike in Chennai, where COVID-19 numbers declined by 50 per cent. Some 1,000 people test positive daily. Chennai has some 12,000 active cases and more than one lakh positive cases.