KOZHIKODE: Amid the fear surrounding the spread of coronavirus, Excise Minister TP Ramakrishnan said that more counters will be opened at beverage outlets to avoid long queues.

Earlier, the government had refused to temporarily shut down beverage outlets amidst coronavirus fears. This action was criticized by many and when asked about it, the minister said that no issues have been reported so far due to the long queues at beverage outlets.

'At present, the government is not planning to shut down beverage outlets. More counters will be opened at all outlets to avoid long queues. However, we are ready to make necessary changes after accessing the situation,' Ramakrishnan said.