A peg of brandy a day, keeps the doctor away – might be the most favoured saying for tipplers. But in Hyderabad, if you have even slight fever, you will not be able to buy liquor.
The Telangana excise department has issued instructions to all wine shops in the twin cities not to sell liquor to people who are suffering from fever.
So, customers coming to wine shops will have to be screened for fever by thermal screening and only if their body temperature is below normal, they will be allowed to go to the counter to buy booze.
The wine shops in the twin cities opened on May 6, after being closed for 45 days due to the lockdown. Instructions were given to the shop owners to display boards informing ‘No Mask, No Liquor’ apart from ensuring physical distancing compulsorily.
Now, the wine shop dealers have been asked to carry out thermal screening of customers in the wake of the increasing number of Covid-19 cases over the last few days. If customers are found to have temperature, shopkeepers say they will not sell liquor to them and instead advise the customer to undergo a proper check-up.
However, there is no guarantee that people suffering from fever are not consuming liquor, because they may ask their friends to buy a bottle for them. So, till now, there are no reports of people suffering from fever coming to wine shops to purchase liquor!
The wine shop workers are not allowing customers to get close to the counter to prevent direct contact. They are also taking necessary precautions to prevent customers from consuming liquor near the shops.