Chennai, Apr 20 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), which is the monopoly of liquor sale in the state, has now started issuing tokens at the outlets to reduce the crowding of consumers taking into account the surge in Covid cases.

There will not be more than five customers at a Tasmac shop at a time owing to the new regulations.

The protocol would come into effect immediately.

The office of the Tasmac managing director in a press release said that the timings at the liquor outlets and bars will be curbed by one hour and will shut shutters by 9 p.m.

All the bars across the state will also shut down by 9 p.m. and tokens will be issued up to 8 p.m. No bar will entertain customers after the last token is issued at 8 p.m.

It may be noted that when the liquor outlets were reopened after 40 days of closure during the pandemic there was a huge surge of crowd which threw the Covid protocol out of gear. This has resulted in the Madras High Court pronouncing a judgment to shut all liquor shops.

The press release issued by the Managing director of Tasmac states that barricades will be placed 200 m from each liquor outlets. Also there is ban on consumption of liquor publicly outside the Tasmac shops.

There is also a ban on bulk sale of liquor and 'no mask, no liquor' concept is also to be implemented. The customers will have to stand in a single queue before the counters so that the norm of five people at a time in an outlet is maintained.

Beer and Wine dated six months above the manufacturing date will not be sold and the stock, if any, would be returned to the godown.