COMMENT | Last Thursday, the prime minister announced the conditional movement control order (MCO) effective May 4. This entailed the partial relaxation of many conditions that had been imposed on March 18.

It covered, among others, the partial re-opening of restaurants, bars and food and beverage outlets. Over the weekend, the owners and operators did the needful – painted distance markers, got thermometers, hand sanitisers, face masks and complied with providing a register for patrons to make available their particulars.

On Monday, regulars made a beeline to their favourite watering holes for their pints and stengahs. Except for a few who did not comply with social distancing, it was a start of the return to some semblance of normalcy.

The déjà vu did not last long. The federal territories minister blew out the candles the following day. He decreed that businesses that sell liquor besides food, could not operate for the time being. As if waving a magic wand, he classified that pubs that sell liquor were...