Excise and police officials on Wednesday ordered people going to buy liquor to carry umbrellas and wear masks, without which they would not be allowed to stand in line outside the wine shops.
The order is meant to ensure that people stand at a distance of at least two metres from each other, and also to avoid the stampede-like situation that was witnessed outside several wine shops on Tuesday in the city.
Many wine shops in Siripuram, Dwaraka Nagar, Gajuwaka and other areas in the city witnessed frenzied crowds on Tuesday as liquor shops opened after a gap of 43 days, which prompted the police to issue the order.
“Carrying an umbrella serves two purposes. One is social distancing, and the other is protection from the scorching sun,” a police official said. However, all liquor outlets are yet to enforce this order.
Joint Collector and Ex-Officio, Executive Director, APSBCL, Visakhapatnam, L. Siva Shankar, in a release on Wednesday said that umbrellas have been made compulsory in the district for those standing in queues before retail outlets to ensure social distancing.
A senior Excise official said that it is a temporary measure to ensure that there is no stampede-like situation, and most importantly, to ensure a minimum distance from each other.
Kutikuppala Umbrella Principle
Padma Sri awardee and renowned doctor Kutikuppala Surya Rao was the first to suggest usage of umbrella to effectively implement social distancing. “Using an umbrella would automatically enable social distancing, as if two persons are standing in line holding umbrellas, the minimum distance between them would be at least one-and-a-half metres,” Dr. Surya Rao said.
₹16 crore sales in 48 hours
Liquor worth ₹16 crore was sold at 276 APSBCL retail outlets in Visakhapatnam district on May 4 and 5. Officials said that about ₹10 crore liquor was sold on the first day itself.
