Now, Rs 2,000 fine in Delhi if caught without a mask: CM
New Delhi: The day the Delhi High Court came down heavily on the Delhi government for what it called disparities in the way COVID-19 fines are being enforced and monitored, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that the fine for not wearing a face mask in public will be hiked to Rs 2,000 from Rs 500 now.
"Sometimes, when words do not do the task, imposing restrictions on them becomes necessary. It has been agreed to increase the fine for not wearing the masks from Rs 500 to Rs 2000. A fine of Rs 2000 will be imposed on anybody not wearing the mask," the CM said on Thursday.
"The decision was taken as an extraordinary measure in the face of a sudden surge in COVID-19 cases in Delhi during the last fortnight, despite best efforts being put in by various field agencies on all fronts," a statement from the L-G's office said.
The chief minister said the Delhi government was implementing from November 19, its decision to reserve 80 per cent of ICU beds in 33 private hospitals for COVID-19 patients. Private hospitals have also been directed to increase the percentage of non-ICU COVID-19 beds from 50 per cent to 60 per cent, he said in a virtual briefing.
Kejriwal said he met Lt Governor Anil Baijal to apprise him of various steps being taken by the government. Arrangements are being made for over 1,400 ICU beds, including 663 in Delhi government hospitals and 750 at a Central government facility, the chief minister said, adding around 7,500 normal and 446 ICU beds are currently available for COVID-19 patients in Delhi.
Significantly, earlier in the day on Thursday, a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad had seriously reprimanded the Delhi government for not being able to implement COVID-19 fines proportionately. The court's remarks came after it had perused a status report on the matter filed by the Delhi government.
After noting the disparities in fines being issued in certain districts, the court said the fines being imposed - Rs 500 for first violation and Rs 1,000 for every subsequent violation - did not appear to be a deterrent. The bench said any action that the government takes has to act as a deterrent so that people are more cautious and adhere to the norms.
It added, "What kind of monitoring and marshalling are you doing? Look at the situation seriously with a magnifying glass. You have crossed cities like New York and Sao Paolo."
