AIADMK, PMK urge TN govt to shut liquor outlets

Tamil Nadu's principal opposition party, AIADMK on Sunday demanded that the DMK regime close down state-run liquor outlets to tackle the third COVID-19 wave. 

PMK founder leader S Ramadoss said liquor outlets are not essential and urged the government to close them and bars as well. Top AIADMK leader, O Panneerselvam said the positivity rate was about 8 per cent in the state with 10,978 people testing positive out of the 1,39,253 samples tested as per the virus bulletin issued on January 8.

In June 2021, when the liquor outlets were reopened, the DMK regime had defended it saying in districts where the positivity rate hovered above 5 per cent, liquor vends remained shut. The government had then said that only in 27 other districts, such shops were reopened considering a fall in positivity rate that dropped to about 2.8 per cent on June 23, 2021, Panneerselvam said in a statement. Going by this yardstick of the DMK government when the positivity rate has climbed to about 8 per cent, the liquor shops should have been closed down, but the outlets are open across Tamil Nadu.

''I strongly condemn the DMK government for not closing the liquor outlets when coronavirus is spreading fast.'' During the AIADMK regime, after liquor shops were reopened on May 7, 2020, when the total number of persons who had tested positive was 580 on that day, Panneerselvam recalled that the DMK had held a black flag protest against the move. The AIADMK leader said on the one hand the government has taken measures like closure of schools (upto class 9) and colleges and on the other hand, liquor shops are allowed to function and this would not help contain the virus spread.

Hence, considering people's welfare and to tackle the third wave of COVID-19, at least till such time the positivity rate dropped below 5 per cent, all liquor vends should be shut down, the AIADMK leader urged Chief Minister M K Stalin. The chain of retail liquor outlets across the state are run by government owned Tamil Nadu state Marketing Corporation popularly known as 'TASMAC.' Bars attached to such shops are privately run.

On Sunday, in sync with the trend of a spike, Tamil Nadu reported 12,895 fresh COVID cases which includes returnees from aborad and other states.

Health Minister Ma Subramanian said nearly 80-85 per cent of the cases were people who had 'S' gene drop in their samples, indicating contraction of Omicron variant while the remaining 15-20 per cent was that of Delta.