Ban or restrict liquor sales, junior docs send SOS to AP government

Amaravati: Seemingly rattled by serpentine queues without proper social distancing, junior doctors have requested the Andhra Pradesh government to ban or restrict the liquor sales in the state given the Covid-19 pandemic.

Junior Doctors Association (JDA) said the decision to open liquor shops will be a setback to all the progress made in combating Covid-19. The JDA feared that it may lead to spreading infection.

“We the doctors, health care providers, sanity workers, police, and administration have been working very hard for the last 45 days. Lots of people gather at liquor shops without proper social distancing for purchasing alcohol. This will cause a rampant spread of the virus and may increase cases in the coming days," the doctors said.

JDA urged the government to either ban or restrict the liquor sales in order to prevent the spread of infection. “We request you to either ban the sale of liquor or impose suitable measures,” JDA said in a statement

Andhra Pradesh is one of the few Indian states in India that have conducted more than 1 lakh Covid-19 tests in India.

A day after reopening the liquor outlets in non-containment zones in the state on Monday, the Andhra Pradesh government had given another jolt to tipplers as it increased the alcohol prices by another 50 percent from Tuesday.

On Monday when it reopened the shops after the lockdown, the government increased the prices by 25 percent, thus taking the total hike to 75 percent.