
New Delhi authorities have imposed a 70% tax on the retail price of alcohol, referring to the levy as a "special corona fee" according to an order issued Monday by the Delhi government.
Any resident of India's capital city will have to pay the tax to purchase alcohol after social distancing measures were violated on Monday, as liquor stores reopened after five weeks.
Chaos ensued after liquor shops opened for the first time in five weeks on Monday in Delhi, with scores of people queuing up outside stores without adequate social distancing, according to a senior district official.
“It’s unfortunate that chaos was witnessed at some shops in Delhi today ... If we come to know about violations of social distancing and other norms from any area, we will then have to seal the area and revoke the relaxations there,’’ Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi said in an address on Monday.
India has been under a nationwide lockdown since March 25. The country has reported a total of 46,433 coronavirus cases, including 1,568 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.