The Ministry of Finance yesterday (16) gives permission to supermarkets for selling liquor through online platform.
Media Spokesman of the Excise Department, Deputy Commissioner Kapila Kumarasinghe, had stated that the Excise Department had recently submitted its recommendations to the Ministry of Finance regarding the selling liquor online, as response to the requests from supermarket owners. Accordingly, the officials of the Ministry of Finance have agreed to this.
The Government Medical Officers’ Association has strongly oppose to this. It is a shame that, mechanism that cannot distribute vegetables, pension or medicine properly to houses is working for alcohol.
The executive member of the association Dr. Prasad Colombage says that this operation is a conspiracy. It is regrettable that despite the fact that people are advised to increase their immunity to prevent from virus infection, also in such a tragic situation where about 50 people die every day due to covid and infected patients report continously , the immune suppressive drug has been made available to the public online, he says.
He also pointed out that the availability of alcohol at home during lockdown period could increase domestic violence, adding that the implementation of such a decision would cause great inconvenience to the public, including the health and security sectors.