Bhubaneswar: With Covid-19 appropriate behaviour holding key to keep the virus at bay, the Odisha government on Friday revised penalty for people found without masks in public places.
As per a notification issued by the State Health Department, a violator will henceforth have to pay a fine of Rs 2,000 for not wearing a mask. For the second offence a similar fine will be charged on the violators.
At present, a fine of Rs 1,000 is charged on violators for the first and second offence.
However, as is the practice now, Rs 5,000 will henceforth be collected from violators if caught without masks after the first and the second offence.
Last year, following a surge in infections, the fine amount for not wearing a mask in public places was increased from the initial Rs 500 to Rs 1,000.
According to senior Odisha Police officials, action has been taken against 21,201 persons for violating Covid protocols in the State and a fine amounting to Rs. 51,69,350 collected in the past two days.
Earlier in the day, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched a 14-day ‘Mask Abhiyan’ as part of the strategy to fight Covid-19.
In a televised address, Patnaik said the fight against Covid-19 can be won even without imposing restrictions like lockdowns. However, wearing of masks and strict compliance of other Covid-19 norms is paramount to fight the spread of the virus.
“The second wave of coronavirus infection has started and it is spreading fast. Lockdown, shutdown and night curfew are being imposed in many parts of the country. However, if we follow Covid-19 guidelines and wear masks properly, we can stop the spread of the infection without imposing such harsh curbs. Therefore, we all will actively take part in the Mask Abhiyan for the next 14 days,” the CM said.