Ahmedabad ups fine for not wearing face mask to Rs 500 from Rs 200

AHMEDABAD: Throwing caution to the wind by not wearing a mask will now attract a heftier fine of Rs 500.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation on Monday became the state's first civic body to hike fine for mask violation from existing Rs 200 to Rs 500 in a bid to deter most people from violating the mandatory-mask-in-public rule. People spitting at and around paan shops will also be fined Rs 500 while the paan shop owner allowing the violation will face a mega-penalty of Rs 10,000.
The move comes on a day when Gujarat recorded the highest 902 cases in 24 hours till 5 pm on Monday. The total Covid-19 case tally of the state now stands at 42,808. The state also recorded 10 deaths of patients taking the death toll to 2,057.
Surat recorded five deaths and highest 287 cases -- maximum case tally in Gujarat for the 10th consecutive day. It was followed by Ahmedabad which recorded three deaths and 164 cases. Vadodara reported 74 cases while Junagadh recorded 46 cases.
Additional chief secretary Rajiv Gupta, in-charge of Covid-19 control in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, said, “The increase in fine for mask violation in Ahmedabad aims to ensure maximum people of Ahmedabad wear masks to curb the spread of coronavirus. Keeping one's face covered with mask is a basic step towards protection against Covid-19.”
Even as the city is witnessing a slump in Covid-19 cases, sources in the AMC said that there was a need to instil more discipline in the people as many were seen blatantly violating mask and social distancing norms. In fact, in 10 days since July 1, 16,305 Amdavadis paid Rs 40.65 lakh fine towards the mask, spitting and social distancing violations. On Monday 114 paan shops were also sealed till 7 pm.
Since April the AMC has collected more than Rs 95 lakh in fines from more than 1.72 lakh citizens, taking the average to around 133 offences per minute. “The number of violations are high and is worrisome. Fine increase is just a nudge to effect change in behaviour," said a senior AMC official.
Meanwhile, the state now has 10,945 active cases, which is 25.6% of total cases. The share of discharged and deceased patients in Gujarat now is 69.6% and 4.8% respectively.
The state recorded discharge of 608 patients in 24 hours, taking the total to 29,806. The discharges include 186 from Surat, 125 from Ahmedabad, 102 from Vadodara and 48 from Junagadh.