Indians formed long queues before vending outlets on May 4 after government eased restrictions on sale of liquor.

Liquor shops were shut after the government announced a country-wide lockdown on March 25 to control the COVID-19 spread.

A video filmed outside a popular liquor outlet in Channarayapattana in Southern India shows patrons patiently standing in a queue that extended over a mile.

But in many places liquor sales were suspended as customers turned unruly and flouted social distancing norms.


The government said last week that select liquor shops could re-open across the country except in areas marked as containment zones.

Customers are required to maintain a minimum six-feet social distance and not more than five people would be allowed inside a shop at a time.