Excise Dept. notice on reopening of wine stores

Only licensed liquor outlets will be allowed to remain open from tomorrow (June 21) for limited hours, the Department of Excise said in a statement issued on Sunday.

Thereby, outlets with Retail License (F.L 4) and Beer, Ale, Stout & Wine License for Retail Sale (F.L 22A) are given permission to operate after travel restrictions are lifted tomorrow morning.

However, selling liquor at hotels, guest houses, rest houses, restaurants and clubs with licenses will not be permitted.

Meanwhile, the outlets with Wholesale License (F.L 3) and License for Distributing Manufacturers’ Wholesale Arrack/Beer/Foreign liquor (A.M 6) will also be authorized limited operations.

Excise Department’s spokesperson, Commissioner of Excise (Law Enforcement) Kapila Kumarasinghe stressed that strict compliance to health protocols during service hours is expected from the outlet owners.