Visakhapatnam: No mask, be prepared to pay fine

Visakhapatnam: If you step outdoors sans a mask, be prepared to pay a fine. With people flouting Covid norms, the city police have stepped up restrictions to ensure that those who come out of their homes are armed with a mask.

Cops are seen in various localities generating e-challan for the violation. Thanks to the multiple wings of the police department for swinging into action and acting tough against those letting their guard down.

Within three days of the commencement of the special drive, the cases of those not wearing a mask reached close to 10,000.

Three days back, City Police Commissioner Manish Kumar Sinha flagged off the drive. On day one of the endeavour, 2,527 unmasked persons were issued a challan. While 3,690 cases were recorded on Sunday, 3,700 were registered the following day.

As the caseload continues to surge in Visakhapatnam in the past few weeks, lack of seriousness among the public is said to be one of the main reasons for the spike in Covid-19 cases.

For the past 24 hours, Visakhapatnam district recorded 139 coronavirus cases. In order to strengthen Covid-appropriate behaviour among the public, the cops from the traffic, law and order along with crime wings have teamed up to carry the initiative forward.

Sharing details with The Hans India, ADCP (Traffic) Ch Adi Narayana says, "The drive will continue as long as 'masking up' becomes an integral part of people's daily life. The focus is not on booking a maximum number of cases a day but to inculcate Covid-appropriate behaviour in violators."

Those going outdoors without a mask should be prepared to pay Rs 120 fine (challan-Rs 100 plus user charges Rs 20). The cops are not sparing public transport vehicles, including buses. Apart from charging a fine, the police are also giving away masks to the people free of cost.

Special attention is paid to shopping malls, beach road and markets wherein the public movement is more and flouting of Covid norms turns out to be frequent.