The State government on Thursday walked back on a proposal to allow bars and beer-and- wine parlours to open for in-person service.
A high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reportedly concluded that allowing indoor dining in bars immediately could accelerate the spread of the virus.
There are an estimated 700-odd bars and 385 beer-and-wine parlours in the State. Most operate in air-conditioned indoor spaces with little scope for ventilation. They are designed to create a private atmosphere, and few have room to seat customers in a spaced-out matter. Moreover, it would be challenging for the administration to enforce the pandemic prevention social behaviour code in such private environs.
Financial troubles
The bar and hotel industry, which was reeling from a steep financial decline, had requested the government to allow them to open their doors for business.
It pointed out that Karnataka, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Punjab had allowed indoor service in bars. The industry also flagged the job loss caused by the pandemic and said many establishments were on the verge of closure.
It pointed out that bars had remitted the full licence fee for the 2020-21 fiscal. The industry has sought a tax reprieve from the government. It had demanded the lifting of the rule that bars could only purchase the amount of liquor they sold through the BevQ application. The government has not made any commitment officially.
However, it reportedly felt the short-term relief for the hotel industry could cause broader losses in terms of public health and finance. It would review the request of bar hoteliers after there is a tangible fall in the COVID-19 caseload.
The sale of legal liquor is also a significant source of State revenue. In 2018-19 fiscal, Bevco raked in ₹14,504.67 crore from the sale of branded liquor, beer, and wine, a raise of ₹1,567.8 crore compared to the previous financial year.
Sale of legal liquor had declined by a substantial percentage since March. A State official said bars and beer parlours could continue to sell alcohol as takeaways via the BevQ application until further notice.
