As the pandemic continues to prevail, the mask has been a mandatory part of our lives. Less than a week after the Karnataka government advertised procedures to increase the penalty for not wearing masks in public places up to Rs 1,000 in urban areas and Rs 500 in rural areas, the cost of fine has been reduced drastically. In an order assigned by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday, the fine amounts have been revised to Rs 250 in urban areas and Rs 100 in rural areas, citing public indignity over the high fine amounts.
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The order stated, “Due to public outrage, the government consulted with experts, and the fine for not wearing masks in public has been reduced from Rs 1,000 in urban areas to Rs 250 and from Rs 500 in rural areas to Rs 100. This will come into effect immediately.” The order further added, “As Prime Minister Narendra Modi said ‘life and livelihood’ are equally important and in this view, the government is making all efforts to ensure public safety. I urge the residents of the state to voluntarily wear masks, use sanitizers and maintain physical distance in public places.”
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The order citing a fine of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 was issued by Chief Secretary Vijay Bhaskar as part of revised Unlock 5.0 guidelines on October 2 after the Medical Education Minister had declared the decision of hiking the fine in wake of rising daily COVID-19 cases. Even on Tuesday, Karnataka had recorded a high number of COVID-19 cases at 9,993, with 5,012 cases being reported from Bengaluru itself. With this, the number of active cases in Karnataka is 1,15,151, while it is 55,736 in Bengaluru.
