Coronavirus: Close down liquor outlets in Kerala, says Oommen Chandy

Thiruvananthapuram: Former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Monday wrote to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that in the wake of the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, steps should be taken to shut down all the state-owned liquor retail outlets with immediate effect. In Kerala, 21 positive Covid-19 cases have been reported so far and over 10,000 people are under observation in homes and hospitals across the state.

Liquor and beer in Kerala are sold only through state-owned retail outlets, most of which witness large queues. While people are advised to stay away from crowded places, the state government had said last week that it didn’t intend to close down liquor outlets. For fund starved Kerala, the revenue earned from the sale of liquor and beer is one of the biggest sources of income, recording a turnover of Rs 14,504.67 crore in the last fiscal. (IANS)

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