 Closures cost Excise Dept. Rs. 500 million daily By Maheesha Mudugamuwa The regular bars, pubs, clubs, and restaurants that sell liquor will remain closed until the coronavirus threat is completely defeated and a security clearance is given, the Excise Department said yesterday (27). The above restriction is valid for pubs at cinema halls as per the restrictions of the health authorities, The Morning learnt. Deputy Commissioner of Excise Kapila Kumarasinghe told The Morning that the green light for reopening liquor sales has been given subject to the security concerns. Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA)-approved hotels and restaurants serving alcoholic beverages, which are also registered under the mandatory excise license, were given permission to reopen. According to the Department, permission has been granted to all SLTDA-approved, FL 11 Licence-holding, star-class hotels and restaurants to function forthwith and to commence selling liquor. This order has been given to all wine stores and liquor shops located inside retail supermarket chains countrywide as well. But non-SLTDA-approved premises, which are normally considered as pubs, were not given permission till the security clearance was granted. The ban on liquor sales across the board has been in effect for more than a month due to the countrywide curfew imposed in order to control the spread of the virus and has caused the Government billion-rupee losses in terms of revenue. As learnt by The Morning, the Department had incurred a loss of over Rs. 500 million per day during the curfew period.