Chief minister Vijay Rupani, in a press-conference said, “Following the high court directive, the penalty for not wearing mask in public will be Rs 1,000 from August 11 onwards.” In the wake of the rising number of coronavirus cases in the state, the high court had observed that “Masks are logically the best defence individuals have against Covid-19”.
Earlier, the government had increased the fine for not wearing a mask from Rs 200 to Rs 500 across the state, even as the municipal corporations of Ahmedabad and Surat were imposing a fine of Rs 500 within areas of the two corporations.
The decision came after the Gujarat high court in its order last month, asked the government to collect a minimum fine of Rs 1,000 from those found without mask at public places.
To stop human-to-human transmission of the virus, Rupani urged people not to come out of their homes to celebrate festivals, including Janmashtami. During a hearing in the HC last month on a sou motu PIL about various aspects related to coronavirus, the state government informed the court that the hike of Rs 300 led to a significant decrease in the number of people who violated the rule.
However, the high court said some people still do not adhere to the rule, and asked the government to increase the fine for not wearing mask in public places to a minimum of Rs 1,000.
