An official order said in the wake of the extended lockdown period, all TASMAC retail outlets and bars will remain closed in tamilnadu till april 30. The order with instructions in this regard has been sent to senior regional managers and district managers of TASMAC outlets. “The senior regional managers and district managers are thereby instructed to close all the retail vending shops and bars attached to the shops for the period up to april 30,” the tamil Nadu government’s order said.

prime minister narendra modi in his address on tuesday announced that the nationwide lockdown will be extended to May 3. The tamilnadu government on monday had announced the extension of the lockdown till april 30 with restrictions for movement of people and commercial establishments. However, it is unclear if the TASMAC outlets will also remain shut till May 3 due to the extension.  tamilnadu government's order instructed the district managers to keep vigil and ensure there is no illegal sale of liquor during the next two weeks. The authorities have also been notified to coordinate with the Prohibition Enforcement Wing in the districts to ensure that no untoward incidents take place. All the liquor outlets in the tamil Nadu remain closed from march 25 to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the closure of all liquor outlets has taken a toll on those with alcohol dependency and addiction. tamil Nadu had reported instances of persons with these issues drinking aerated drinks mixed with shaving solutions and hand sanitizers leading to their deaths. In certain cases, the persons took to breaking into TASMAC shops or brewing illicit liquor. With this, experts in tamilnadu issued warnings that crime and deaths had just begun due to alcohol withdrawal in Tamilnadu. However, the officials of TN health Department said that the persons with dependency or addiction could use the helpline numbers issued by the government for mental support and to overcome addiction.