Wear face masks or pay Rs. 200 fine

District Administration intensifies ‘mask drive’ in the wake of rise in Corona positive cases

Mysore/Mysuru: Exuding confidence to check the spiralling growth of Corona cases in Mysuru City and District, Deputy Commissioner B. Sharat said a drive against non-wearing of face masks will be intensified and impose a spot fine of Rs. 200.

Addressing a news conference here yesterday, the DC expressed his concern over the rise in Corona positive cases both in the city and district and said steps are being initiated to check the cases as well as casualty. As a first step towards this, wearing of face mask in public places is compulsory and violation of this rule will attract a fine of Rs. 200. 

So far, throughout the district, 4,675 cases were registered for not wearing face mask and collected a fine of Rs. 7,84,900.  The fine amount is Rs. 200 in Mysuru City and Rs. 100 in rural areas.

Explaining the importance of wearing mask, Sharat said World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended wearing the mask to check the spreading of pandemic. No one should move in public places or attend function without wearing mask. It has come to his notice regarding non-reporting of Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) cases in the district. Private hospitals which examine persons with those symptoms must share information with the District Administration. Those persons should be compulsorily subjected to testing.

Sharat said the District Administration has re-started strict measures to check the pandemic and it was expected to come under control within a month. The asymptomatic people must voluntarily undergo necessary test. There is a need to increase RT-PCR or Rapid Antigen Test throughout the district. Till now, the Corona test was held during morning and henceforth, it will be held in the afternoon too. “Intensity of COVID-19 could be reduced only through early detection. Persons with diabetes, blood pressure, and other diseases, are becoming casualties. To check this, survey work is underway by health workers who visit every house and collect information on the current situation. This will help to detect suspected and positive cases,” he said.

He said Covid Care Centres were opened in Taluks and the oxygen facility will be extended to those centres in the coming days.  With the help of Indian Medical Association (IMA), a trauma centre with 82 beds will be opened soon. Strict action will be taken against those who attack the medicos on duty. Most of the Corona-related deaths are happening due to taking patients to the hospital in last minute. To save lives, the citizens must co-operate with the District Administration by providing correct information to health workers when they come to your doorstep to collect details, he added.

Test mandatory

Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer D. Bharathi said people need not be scared that the Corona positive patients will be isolated and admitted to Covid Hospitals. Provision has been made for those patients to take treatment at their homes also.

Teachers, as part of ‘Vidyagama’, are visiting house-to-house to teach students. Along with teachers, others working in various Departments and members of Sthree Shakthi Groups must undergo Corona test. Earlier, the Covid testing centres were located in taluk headquarters but now it is shifted to Gram Panchayats and hoblis in the wake of spreading of pandemic in rural areas, she said. 

MCC Commissioner Gurudatta Hegde was present at the meet.