Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Oct 10: People are scared of contracting coronavirus infection. As such, as far as possible, they have been keeping distance from fried eatables and cold drinks. This has adversely affected the sale of beer.

Excise department figures say that 93,610 cases of beer had been sold between April and September last year but this year the sale has slumped to 50,828 cases. The district has seen a slump of 50 percent in the sale of beer.

The excise officials say that in cities like this, people like to have beer more than other drinks. They believe that the people are now wary of suffering from cold by drinking cold beer, which might also result in headache and itching in the throat. "As these symptoms are also associated with COVID-19, people seem to have decided to stay clear of unnecessary complications. That is why there is a sharp decline in beer sales. Further, visit by tourists has come down sharply. This has also dented our sales," they explain.

Ashwin Rai, owner of microbrewery here, says that some regular customers have stopped consuming beer as a precautionary step. He said that the people are now more interested in having liquor instead of beer. "Our beer sales have been stable but not optimistic. In the coming days, more bars will be opened, and sales may decline further," he says.

Vadi Shenoy of Tandoor Bar and Restaurant, believes that the people now have been showing more interest towards having hot items as compared to cold drinks. He says that the beer sale has declined by more than 50 percent as compared to the previous months. A beer lover says that precautions like use of masks and sanitizers are taken by the people. He feels that staying away from beer is one such precautionary measure.