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With a spurt in Covid 19 cases, not wearing a mask in Kerala will invite Rs 10,000 fine
The fine for not wearing a mask has been raised from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000 in Kerala.
As coronavirus cases increase steadily in Kerala, a worried state government has tightened measures and not only made facemask and social distancing mandatory for one year but also increased the fine for not wearing a mask to a whopping Rs 10,000 or a two-year jail term. These measures will be in force for one year unless notified otherwise, said a statement from the government.
The government amended the Kerala Epidemic Diseases Control Ordinance 2020 to give it more teeth. Earlier, the fine for not wearing a mask was Rs 2,000. The amendment has also made social distancing mandatory for at least one year and restricted the number of participants for wedding parties to less than 50. For all social gatherings, protests and rallies, a written sanction of authorities will be needed, said the statement.
Spitting in public places will also be made an offence punishable with a fine or jail term. In shops and other business establishments, the amendment limits the presence of people to a maximum of 20. Even at work places, wearing masks has been made mandatory and wearing them casually will invite fine.
The tightening of measures follows the number of Covid infections going past the 200 mark for the past three days. With 225 fresh cases on Sunday, the total number of infections in the state went up to 5,429. However, the number of total recoveries stands at 3,174 leaving 2,228 active cases. With one more death registered in the last 24 hours, the death toll has gone up to 26. Though a majority of fresh cases are imported--either expatriates or people arriving from other states-- the number of secondary infections are also on the rise.
‘Sitting on an active volcano’: Kerala minister worried about Covid 19 community transmissions
In state capital Thiruvananthapuram, at least 22 secondary infections were reported on a single day. Earlier in the day, state tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran said the situation in the state capital was really serious and the government would enforce complete lockdown if it didn’t improve.
