NEW DELHI: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Friday shared posters of Batman, Superman and Flash in mask on his Facebook page to underline its importance in the fight against the coronavirus.
The caption on one of the posts read,
“Heroes wear masks. Put on your mask and save lives. #BeAHero”. “Not all heroes wear capes, some wear masks,” another post read. A post on “how not to wear a mask” also carried pictures of people with their mask dangling by an ear, covering just the nose or resting on the lips.
The health minister has time and again stressed on the importance of masks in the fight against Covid-19. Recently, he had said that mask is the only vaccine for coronavirus till a real medicine is available. “A mask and a lockdown have same benefits. In fact, a mask is better than a lockdown,” Jain had said.The minister has also said that there is no harm in wearing a face mask inside a car and appealed to people of the city to ensure that they don’t step outside without wearing one.
The AAP government had on Thursday increased the fine for not wearing masks from Rs 500 to Rs 2,000. “Earlier in the day, Jain said the gradual reduction in the number of new Covid-19 cases and the positivity rate is a “clear indicator” that the spread of the virus is decreasing in the national capital.
The minister announced that government rates would apply to normal and non-ICU beds reserved in private hospitals by the Delhi government for Covid-19 patients. “The positivity rate was 15.26 per cent on November 7. It is less than 11 per cent now. The maximum number of cases (8,593) were reported on November 10,” Jain said.
“The positivity rate has come down and the number of cases is also reducing gradually. It is a clear indicator that the spread of the virus is decreasing in Delhi,” he told reporters. The national capital reported 7,456 coronavirus cases on Thursday and the positivity rate was 12.09 percent. The national capital recorded 6,608 fresh Covid-19 cases in a day taking the infection tally on Friday to over 5.17 lakh. while 118 more fatalities.
Spitting in public places to attract Rs 2K fine
The L-G has amended the Delhi Epidemic Disease Management of Covid-19 regulations 2020, which empowers any ‘authorised person’ to slap a fine of Rs 2,000 for a series of activities including not wearing masks. “Authorised persons shall be empowered to impose a fine of Rs 2,000 for offence for violating directives/guidelines pertaining to the following,” says a government notification, dated November 20. The activities listed are observation of quarantine rules, maintaining of social distancing, wearing of face masks or cover in all public places. It also includes prohibition of spitting in public places as well as prohibition on consumption of paan, gutka, tobacco in public areas.
Noida: 1,200 without masks penalised
Over 1,200 people who were found without face masks at public places were fined across Noida and Greater Noida on Friday, police said. Penalties were also levied on owners of over 800 vehicles for various offences, including occupants violating social-distancing norms, police said in a statement. Police Commissioner Alok Singh has directed officials to issue challans to those people who are found not adhering to coronavirus protocols in public places, it stated. According to the statement, 976 people were fined a total of Rs 1 lakh for not wearing face masks in public places. Two-hundred such offenders were found at Kasna police station area.