Pennsylvania is closing its liquor stores to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus

• Beyond beer and wine, it will be difficult to get alcohol in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the wake of the coronavirus spread.
• The state-run chain that has a monopoly on liquor sales is closing on Tuesday night.
• "In these uncertain and unprecedented times, the public health crisis must take priority over the sale of wine and spirits, as the health and safety of our employees and communities is paramount."
• Pennsylvania has at least 76 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of time of writing.
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It will be harder to get hard liquor in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the wake of the spread of the novel coronavirus: The state stores that have a monopoly on retail liquor sales are going to close shop indefinitely on Tuesday night.

"This was a tremendously difficult decision to make," the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board said in a statement issued Monday afternoon. "In these uncertain and unprecedented times, the public health crisis must take priority over the sale of wine and spirits, as the health and safety of our employees and communities is paramount."

By Monday night, visitors to the website of the state-run chain, Fine Wine & Good Spirits, were greeted with a message stating that it "is no longer accepting orders until further notice." Any online orders already placed, and slated for pick-up at a store, will be cancelled, with at-home deliveries to be delayed "due to an unusually high order volume."

All retail locations will close at 9:00 p.m. local time on March 17, with local news reporting that stores have been packed with customers. The move comes after the commonwealth announced Saturday that it was shuttering locations in the counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery, which are subject to additional COVID-19 mitigation efforts due to the higher number of reported cases there.

There are 76 confirmed cases of the coronavirus across Pennsylvania, according to the Department of Health, with 13 additional cases discovered on Monday.

Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, announced on Friday that he was closing K-12 public schools for two weeks. But he initially resisted shutting down all liquor sales. Asked about the prospect at a press conference last week, he smiled and told reporters "this is a somber time" and "we're [trying] to be serious here," according to NBC Philadelphia.

Beer and wine can still be found at grocery stores in Pennsylvania, and some Pennsylvanians will no doubt make the trek to neighboring states like New Jersey, where sales are said to be "booming."