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No online liquor sales: NOCPCO

17 Jun 2021

The National Operations Centre for Prevention of Covid-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) will not grant permission for online sales of liquor, Army Commander and Head of the NOCPCO General Shavendra Silva stated today (17). Yesterday (16), the Ministry of Finance approved a proposal for the online purchase of alcohol through supermarket delivery services, submitted by the Excise Department on Tuesday (15). However, the approval from the NOCPCO was still pending at the time. Commissioner and Spokesman of the Excise Department Kapila Kumarasinghe told The Morning earlier that requests have been received from various parties to allow for the purchase of liquor online from supermarkets.  Excise Department Commissioner General M.J. Gunasiri had said earlier this week that the continued prohibition on liquor sales due to the existing travel restrictions in the country is resulting in a Rs. 600 million daily tax loss for the Department. Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA), in a letter to the Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, expressed its displeasure over the Excise Department’s move to allow the online sale of liquor. The SLMA requested the Government not to grant permission for the online sale of alcohol, claiming that it would make matters worse for all Sri Lankans already suffering from many hardships due to the Covid-19 pandemic.


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