Lockdown extended in Telangana till May 29, liquor shops allowed to open from May 6

Lockdown in Telangana is extended till May 29, chief minister Chandrasekhar Rao has announced, after a special cabinet meeting to take stock of the COVID-19 situation.

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The state, accused of not doing enough coronavirus tests, has so far reported 1096 cases, with 11 new positive cases reported on Tuesday.

“This virus is not going to end tomorrow or the day after. We have to learn to live together with it. It will keep hunting us down if we don't have a plan to evade it,” Rao said after a marathon meeting with his cabinet colleagues and officials.

However, Rao has allowed liquor shops to open in the state except those in the containment zones, from Wednesday. While states like Delhi and neighboring Andhra Pradesh have announced a 70-75 percent hike in the price to serve as a deterrent and crowding at the wine shops, in Telangana the increase would be 16 percent.

Liquor outlets are allowed to operate from 10 am to 6 pm, with strict adhering to “physical distancing” norms. Rao appealed to use physical in place of social distancing, since the latter “sounds like social boycott.” “No mask, no liquor,” the CM announced while saying that bars, clubs, pubs etc., would remain closed.

Stating that Telangana is now at a stage of flattening the curve of COVID-19 case, Rao said that biotech-pharma companies operating from Hyderabad like Shantha Biotech are working towards a cure.

Other decisions announced by the CM are:

1. Night curfew from 7 pm to 7 am would remain in effect.
2. Registrar, RTA etc., offices would function normally from now on.
3. State will conduct the remaining SSC exams, following the High Court instructions, in May.
4. Intermediate exams papers spot evaluation would also be carried out soon.
5. Public transport including the TSRTC would not be operating at least till 15 May.
6. Autos, cabs can operate in green zones.
7. Wedding with 20 guests only while funerals can have 10-15 attendees.
8. No political meetings or religious congregations are allowed.