Andhra Pradesh in the 24 hours on Friday reported 8,096 new infections and 67 fatalities, taking the tally to over six lakh and death toll to 5,244.

Even as the state remains the country’s Covid-19 hotspot with the surging caseload, the Jagan-led YSRCP government on late Friday decided to reopen bars from today.

The Jagan government had been claiming that it is committed to eradicating alcohol. However, the state government has decided to continue all the 840 bar licences, existing as on June 30, 2020, till June 30, 2021, subject to the outcome of a pending batch of writ petitions in the High Court.

The Andhra Pradesh government decided to levy a 20 per cent ‘Covid-19 fee’ on the basic licence of bars and also a 10 per cent additional retail excise tax on liquor. With the Covid fee on bar licences, the state government expects to mop up Rs 40 crore and Rs 300 crore as an additional retail excise tax.

In the first week of May, the Andhra Pradesh government had permitted wine shops which led to massive queues stretching up to more than five kilometres with ‘Bacchus Lovers’ throwing the Covid-19 protocols to the winds.
In some parts of the state, several people died after consuming sanitizers due to lack of availability of liquor.