Liquor and Paan Shops Allowed to Open in Green Zones under Lockdown Relaxation Rules
New Delhi(News18): The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday said liquor stores and paan shops will be allowed to function in green zones while ensuring a distance of six feet from each other and ensuring that not more five people are present at one time at the shop.
Standalone alcohol shops can be allowed to open in orange and green zones, sources told CNN-News18 even as the government passed an order to extend the nationwide lockdown by two weeks beyond May 4. The sources added any standalone shop, including those selling alcohol, will be allowed in orange and green zones.
In its order, the MHA laid down guidelines to be followed in different zones across the country – Red, Orange and Green – depending on the risk profiling of various districts. While the red zones are hotspots where all restrictions will remain in place, the guidelines have permitted considerable relaxations in the districts falling in the Green and Orange Zones.
The Green Zones are districts with either zero confirmed cases till date or no confirmed case in the last 21 days. The classification of districts as Red Zones will take into account the total number of active cases, doubling rate of confirmed cases, extent of testing and surveillance feedback from the districts. Those districts which are neither defined as Red nor Green will be classified as Orange zones. The classification of districts into Red, Green and Orange Zones will be shared by MoHFW with the States and Union Territories (UTs) on a weekly basis, or earlier, as required. While States and UTs can include additional districts as Red and Orange Zones, they may not lower the classification of a district included by MoHFW in the list of Red or Orange Zones.