Even though the Maharashtra Government has permitted over-the-counter sales of liquor, data has shown that 50 per cent of the sales are still happening online.
Several customers ordering premium brands prefer ordering online instead of the previous habit of buying alcohol in person. People purchasing cheaper liquor, or without internet access are the only ones queuing up outside the liquor shops.
However, the shop-owners have said that opening of the liquor shops has increased the sale of alcohol as people opting for cheaper brands would earlier not be able to do so through online buying as a lot of the options are not available.
Although if compared to the pre-lockdown period, the overall sale is yet to improve. Before the coronavirus outbreak hit back in March, the average daily sale of a liquor shop in Mumbai would be ₹2-2.5 lakhs, however, now, it is ₹1.5-1.75 lakhs.
The MHA had earlier stated that the national directives for COVID-19 management should be followed throughout the country with a view to ensure social distancing. Shops will need to maintain adequate social distancing norms amongst the customers. The MHA will also monitor the effective implementation of the national directives.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, August 12, Maharashtra clocked 12,712 fresh cases of the coronavirus, propelling the state's COVID-19 tally to 5,48,313. Currently, there are 1,47,513 active cases in the state. With 13,408 COVID-19 patients getting discharged in the day, the number of recovered soared to 3,81,843.
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