In a bid to control the Covid surge, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)  Has announced that a free mask will be provided to those caught without mask in public places.

Fine for not wearing masks in public places in Mumbai is Rs 200. However, it is observed that those caught without masks would pay the penalty and continue to repeat the same mistake. So, BMC chief Iqbal Chahal on Sunday issued an order in which it has been stated that BMC will aggressively fine people outdoors without a face mask and then provide them with a free mask. The purpose is to educate people about the need to wear a face mask when outdoors, the civic body mentioned.

To clarify more, the BMC said when an offender, after being fined, goes ahead without a face mask, the objective of implementing the COVID-19 prevention protocol remains unfulfilled. "Therefore, in order to fulfill the objective, the citizen concerned will be provided a free mask and charged a penalty of Rs 200," it said.

The relevant penalty receipt will also mention about the free mask, it added. To control the spread of infection in the post-Diwali season, the civic body has increased inspection drives in the city, with the violation of mask rule attracting a penalty of Rs 200. As per official figures, till Sunday, Mumbai city reported a total of 2,82,821 COVID-19 cases and 10,865 deaths due to the disease.

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