Nagpur: With over 500 new Covid-19 infection cases being detected every day in the city for the last few days, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has enforced stricter curbs on people’s movement as well as gatherings.
The NMC has decided to notify entire flat scheme as prohibited area in case more than five Covid patients are found there. Similarly, on detection of more than 20 Covid cases in a particular area, the civic body will declare part of the lane/street as prohibited zone.
People residing in prohibited zone will not be allowed to go outside and no one from other localities will be permitted to enter such area.
Municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B on Friday issued an order to this effect as part of the measures to curb spread of the novel coronavirus infection.
NMC additional municipal commissioner Ram Joshi said, “The concerned flat scheme or part of the area, street or lane will not be barricaded, as was done earlier. Zone offices, in association with respective police stations, will notify and display banners highlighting it as prohibited area. The area will be sealed only if violation of the Covid rules is noticed.”
In the early days of the pandemic, the civic body used to barricade entire area after declaring it as containment zone. After a series of unlocking orders, containment zones were restricted only up to the house in which Covid patient was in home isolation.
The civic chief also re-introduced cap of 20 people attending funeral. In yet another major decision, the NMC has ordered all hotels, restaurants and other eateries to keep the number of patrons limited to 50% of total capacity at any given time.
Radhakrishnan has warned that violators will be slapped with not just fine, but they will also face FIR under Disaster Management Act, 2005, IPC and Epidemic Act, 1897.
The civic body has already capped the number of guests allowed in marriage ceremonies at 50 and other gatherings at 100 or 25% of the total capacity of the venue. The fine amount has been increased from Rs5,000 to Rs15,000 so as to deter people from violating the Covid curbs.
The NMC’s nuisance detection squad (NDS) continued to keep close watch on lawns and hotels to nab violators. Till Friday, 267 lawns and hotels were inspected in the city. Fine ranging between Rs5,000 and Rs 25,000 each was levied on six lawns and hotels on Friday. Earlier, similar action was taken against 14 lawns and hotels.