Covid 3rd wave: EPS asks govt to close Tasmac shops temporarily

In a statement, the AIADMK leader said that the current Chief Minister MK Stalin during his tenure as leader of the opposition in 2021 demanded the closure of Tasmac shops stating that the liquor outlets were posing the danger of spreading coronavirus.

The DMK seem to have different contradictory stands on the issue. Last year, the DMK as the opposition party staged demonstrations seeking the closure of bars and now they are allowing the liquor stores to run, EPS said.

Health Minister Ma Subramanian had admitted that coronavirus is spreading at rocket speed explaining that every one COVID positive person is infecting at least 9 people. The state health ministry in its official bulletin admits that there are 24,000 active cases in the state and social media reports claim that the actual COVID cases will be more than 50,000 in the state. Considering the current situation there is a need to effectively implement the coronavirus safety protocols.

Last year, DMK leader Stalin along with his party members staged demonstrations in front of their house with a black flag demanding the closure of all Tasmac shops, but now the DMK is silent on the issue at a time when the corona spread is higher when compared to the last year. The government is focused on revenue generation through liquor sales endangering public safety, he added.

The government also seems to be least bothered in taking up measures that will curtail the spread of the virus, EPS said in the statement.

“CM Stalin should implement what he insisted last year and I request the CM to close down all the Tasmac bars and Tasmac liquor outlets considering the sporadic surge in the number of COVID cases,” EPS added.