As the COVID-19 pandemic makes a resurgence in Tamil Nadu with the state recording the unprecedented spikes in fresh cases, the TASMAC outlets in the state will return back to the token system to control the crowd. The government has announced the token system in the outlets on Monday, when the state is preparing to enter the fresh episode of the night curfew and weekend lockdown. 

The token system to manage the crowd of boozers was in place in 2020 against the backdrop of the first COVID-19 wave and it has now come to play its role as one of the preventive measures to curb the spread. The decision to implement the token system has come after the government ran into outrage over failing to control the crowd during the sales time when the state is hit by the second wave, which is severe than the preceding one. 

The token system at the TASMAC outlets has come to effect on April 20 and will be in place until further orders. According to reports, the Managing Director of TASMAC has sent a set of advisories to all the district units to ensure that alcohol is sold only to those who come to the outlet with a token. The outlets have also been instructed not to have more than five customers at a time at the counter. The sale timing of the outlets has been reduced by one hour with the view of controlling the crowd. 

The reports say that the sale at the TASMAC outlets across the state will end at 9 pm and no tokens will be issued to customers after 8 pm. Along with reducing the time, the barricades will be placed around 200 meters from the outlets and alcohol will not be sold in bulk or to those without face masks. The TASMAC management will be putting place markers at the outlets to ensure that the customers adhere to the physical distancing norms. 

The order of implementing a token system at the TASMAC outlets has come when the state is going into the night curfew between 10 pm to 4 am from April 20 and complete lockdown on Sundays. The token system has also come when the state government was facing strong objections from across the state for shutting down the establishments and businesses by keeping the TASMAC outlets open. Through this order, the government has shown that it is not ready to close the outlets, which are the highest contributor to the state's revenue, and it will be satisfying both the containment policy and the boozers. 

On Monday, the state has reported 10,941 fresh cases, the highest single-day rise since the outbreak began. It also has reported 6,172 fresh discharges and 44 deaths. According to the state health department, Tamil Nadu has reported one million COVID-19 cases with 10,02,392 cases so far as of Monday of which 75,116 are active, 9,14,119 have been discharged, and 13,157 had succumbed to the viral infection.