Bhubaneswar, September 7: Liquor shops in Odisha will now remain open from 10:30 am to 10:30 pm in addition to the home delivery services. The Excise Department of Odisha announced that the liquor shops and counters across the state shall remain open for 12 hours from 10.30 am to 10.30 pm instead of 7 am to 6 pm that was announced earlier. The Department added that shops within containment zones will continue to remain shut. Retailers have also been asked to ensure that consumers follow social distancing norms.

The step has been taken to avoid overcrowding at the liquor shops across the state. Meanwhile, face masks have been made compulsory for shopkeepers and buyers. In July, the state government of Odisha had reduced the ‘special COVID fee’ of 50 percent on MPR of alcoholic beverages to 15 percent. Liquor Sale in Unlock 4: Bars, Restaurants Can Serve Alcohol From September 1 as Centre Lifts Ban on Consumption of Booze in Public Places.

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In Odisha, lockdown shall be enforced within the Containment Zones till 30th September, 2020. The the Excise Department of Odisha, had said that just 15 percent ‘special COVID fee’ would be charged on MRP of various liquor instead of the earlier rate of 50 percent. After the implementation of the new rule, the ‘special COVID fee’ had helped the state government earn revenue of Rs 200 crores.

The COVID-19 rose to 1,27,892 on Monday with the state registering its highest single-day spike of 3,861 new cases. With 10 fresh fatalities today, the death toll due to coronavirus mounted to 556.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 07, 2020 04:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).