Affected by Coronavirus Lockdown, Dubai Revises Alcohol Rules to Revive Economy: Report

New Delhi: Critically affected by the coronavirus lockdown, Dubai on Wednesday revised its rules related to alcohol sales and possession of liquor. In the wake of the lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, the overall sales of alcohol has drastically fallen in the UAE. Also Read – West Bengal Lockdown News: A Bank in This State Collects Plastics, Plants, Dispenses Masks, Sanitizers in Return

A statistics from Euromonitor suggests that the overall sales of alcohol by volume have fallen to 128.79 million liters (34 million gallons). The sales of alcohol in Dubai serve as a major source of revenue for the ruling family. Also Read – Covid-19 Hits Dining-Out Industry Hard: 40% Restaurants May Not Reopen At All in India, Says Zomato

As per the statistics, the sales in 2019 are down nearly 9 per cent from 2017, which witnessed 141.51 million litres (37.3 million gallons) sold. Also Read – Maharashtra: MSRTC to Resume Inter District Bus Services From Thursday, SOP Likely This Week

According the rule of the land, non-Muslim residents will have to compulsorily carry red plastic cards, which are issued by the Dubai police, to buy liquor. If they fail to produce the cards, they face action from the government.

Now, the country has changed the rules and has replaced those red cards with the black ones. The country has also simplified the application process which now only needs an Emirati national ID card for the purpose.

The country further has relaxed the rules on the purchase restrictions which were earlier based on the salary of the employees.

The country has introduced the new card system as it is easing travel restrictions for tourists and visitors to buy alcohol from distributors simply by using their passports.

On Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recorded 365 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total cases to 64,906.

The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention confirmed in a statement two more deaths, pushing the country’s death toll to 366. The UAE is believed to be one of the first countries in the Gulf region to report coronavirus.

(With inputs from agencies)