Delhi Police steps up enforcement, 730 fined in a day for not wearing masks

From about 130 to 160 fines a day for not wearing masks, police on Tuesday caught 730 such violators and fined them ₹2,000 each. Another 11 were fined for not adhering to social distancing measures.

With Delhi’s Covid-19 graph inching upwards, even as the entire country is experiencing a new wave of the viral infection, Delhi Police has stepped up the enforcement of Covid appropriate behaviour across the city to ensure that the spread is contained.

Delhi Police officers said in the backdrop of rising cases, police teams across the city are focusing on areas that have a high footfall, especially market places.

From about 130 to 160 fines a day for not wearing masks, police on Tuesday caught 730 such violators and fined them ₹2,000 each. Another 11 were fined for not adhering to social distancing measures.

The penalty for violating guidelines related to Covid-19 is a fine of ₹2,000, which can be levied by a police officer or officials from the district magistrate’s office.

Delhi Police officers said in the backdrop of rising cases, police teams across the city are focusing on areas that have a high footfall, especially market places. On March 18, HT had reported how prosecutions by police and the district administration for not wearing face masks across the national capital had decreased even as the city was witnessing a surge in the Covid-19 positivity rate.

Until last month, Delhi was recording a very low positivity rate -- on February 16, it was just 0.17%. Since then, it has increased to 1.32%, as on Monday (March 22). For the first time in the past three months, the daily positive cases also crossed the 1,000-mark on Tuesday, with Delhi reporting 1,101 cases. On December, 20, there were 1,139 viral infections.

To be sure, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the positivity rate, for a region with a comprehensive testing programme, should be at or below 5% in order to consider that the outbreak under control in that area. The Delhi government has said that the cases are under control as it is just a little over 1%.

A senior police officer, who did not wish to be named, said, “The decision to increase enforcement was discussed on Saturday, during the law-and-order meeting, which our chief (police commissioner SN Shrivastava) held with all district deputy commissioners of police. After the third wave in October-November, during the festive season, Covid cases had started reducing and police were also busy with law-and-order tasks. Enforcement had taken a back seat but not anymore. As the Covid-19 data shows, the cases are increasing once again, and so we are stepping up enforcement of Covid appropriate behaviour.”

In the past seven days, police issued 5,344 such fines, an average of 763 persons a day. Before that, between March 1 and 15, police had only fined 2,227 persons.

For violation of social distancing norms, police issued 51 fines over the past seven days, while in the fortnight before that, police had only fined 13 persons.

During the third wave of the disease in the national capital, at least 4,000-6,000 were fined daily with police ensuring that people complied with the rules in public spaces.

The officer further said across many markets, police are making announcements about the mask rule. “The idea is not to collect fines but to ensure that people follow the rule for the safety of everyone. The penalty for the violation has increased from ₹500 to ₹2,000. We understand it is a big amount, so we are making announcements to ensure that people do not have to be fined.”

Since last year, police have issued 426,568 masks to the underprivileged.

Dr Jugal Kishore, head of the department of community medicine at Safdarjung hospital, said, “We thought people have gotten into the habit of wearing masks after having to use it for so many months now. People are being callous when it comes to ensuring their own safety. I want to compare this to motorists not wearing a helmet or speeding. We know that head injuries during an accident can be fatal, as studies show, yet, people continue to ride without a helmet. We cannot be lax about Covid appropriate behaviour. Not even 60% of the population has been vaccinated yet. Until we develop herd immunity, we have to wear masks and ensure social distancing. People must realise that we have to continue wearing the mask and not be part of a gathering for at least three or four months or even more. We have to follow rules until the virus is completely gone.”