Tipplers queued up in large numbers since morning at liquor shops--a common sight in large parts of the country where they reopened as anxious people formed more than a kilometre long queue in several areas.

In the national capital, many government-run liquor shops which opened after 40 days had to be shut as people who gathered outside the outlets did not follow social distancing norms, forcing the police to use mild force to disperse the unruly crowd.

"Shops were asked to shut in places where social distancing norms were violated. At some places, a mild force was also used to disperse the crowd," said a senior Delhi police official.

India issued new guidelines that came into effect on Monday, permitting some standalone shops and offices to open.

States have been pushing for liquor shops to reopen as excise duty on alcohol is a major source of income.

However, videos of snaking lines and jostling crowds in front of the shops have gone viral.

This is despite strict orders that people buying alcohol would have to stand six feet apart, and that only five people would be allowed inside a shop at any given time.

Delhi was among several states that reopened liquor shops, but similar scenes are being reported from other parts of the country.

In the southern state of Karnataka, queues formed outside alcohol shops from very early morning.

Earlier, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that it was time for restrictions to be relaxed in the city, saying it was time the city "learned to live with the coronavirus".