Amid Lockdown, Bengaluru Liquor Shops Ordered Shut Till 31 March

Bengaluru Urban DC GN Shivamurthy said liquor stores will remain shut till 31 March irrespective of their license

Liquor shops to remain shut till 31 March in Bengaluru due to COVID-19.

(Photo Courtesy: The News Minute)

All liquor stores in Bengaluru will remain closed until 31 March following the lockdown announced by the Karnataka government in the wake of the spread of coronavirus. This order was issued on Monday, 23 March, and will come into effect immediately.

In a notification issued on Monday, Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner GN Shivamurthy stated that liquor stores, bars, pubs, and restaurants will remain closed till 31 March irrespective of the license held by them.

"The decision has been taken in the interest of public health and to ensure that coronavirus does not spread from person to person," read a notice issued by Shivamurthy.

Retail liquor stores with CL-2 and CL-11(C) licenses were earlier exempted from the shutdown enforced in the city. They have now been directed to close down immediately.

While the notice states that the order is effective immediately, some liquor stores remained open in Bengaluru on Monday sparking a rush for stocking up alcohol. An official told TNM that the order was "already enforced" and that liquor stores will be directed to shut down on Monday itself.

The decision to close down liquor comes after a partial lockdown was announced in nine districts of Karnataka including in Bengaluru. The other districts are Bengaluru Rural, Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Belagavi, Dharwad, Kalaburagi, Chikkaballapura, and Mysuru. Bars, pubs and other establishments selling alcohol were earlier notified to be shut on 13 March.

The state has reported 27 cases of COVID-19 so far.

(Published in an arrangement with The News Minute.)