NEW DELHI: The
Rajasthan assembly on Monday passed a bill to make wearing
face masks mandatory at public places to prevent the spread of
coronavirus.
Rajasthan has become the first state to pass such a bill.
The
Rajasthan Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was introduced by state parliamentary affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal in the assembly on October 31.
A new clause in the Section 4 of the Rajasthan Epidemic Diseases Act, 2020 was inserted, which proposed to prohibit the movement of people at public places without properly covering mouth and nose with a face mask or cover.
Earlier, chief minister
Ashok Gehlot had said coronavirus can be avoided only by adopting measures such as masks,
social distancing and washing hands repeatedly.
Gehlot said a person not wearing a mask not only compromises his own health but also of others who come into contact with him. He said nobody has the right to compromise others’ health by not following health protocols.
The bill prohibits the movement of any person in public place, public transport, private transport, work place or at any social, political, general function or gathering without properly covering mouth and nose with face mask or face cover.