Fine For Not Wearing Mask Raised to Rs 500 in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD:
The Gujarat government has increased the fine for not wearing face mask and spitting in public places in the state to Rs 500 from Rs 200 announced earlier.

The decision was taken by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday, the government said in a release. Except for some parts of the state like the municipal limits of Ahmedabad and Surat, the government had earlier fixed Rs 200 as fine for not wearing face mask. This will be increased to Rs 500 starting August 1, the release said.

In areas falling under the Ahmedabad and Surat municipal limits, the fine for not wearing face mask in public places has already been increased to Rs 500. The government has also ensured that face masks are made available to citizens easily and at low prices, the release said.

All the Amul milk parlours in the state will sell simple face masks for Rs 2 each, it added. On Monday, Gujarat reported 1,052 new COVID-19 cases, taking the statewide tally to 56,874. The state has so far reported 2,348 deaths due to the disease.