Jharkhand announces up to 2 year jail, Rs 1 lakh penalty for not wearing masks in public

As the coronavirus outbreak continues to outgrow, the Jharkhand state government on Wednesday approved the Jharkhand Contagious Disease Ordinance under which a penalty up to Rs 1 lakh and a jail term up to two years can be imposed against violators who avoid precautionary measures of the novel coronavirus. The preventive measures that need to be followed are -- wearing masks in public places and not spitting in public.

Jharkhand on Thursday reported 403 new cases of covid-19, while three more people lost their lives due to the disease.

The death toll in the state rose to 67 while currently, 3,845 cases are active, as per the bulletin issued by the state governement.

Due to the surge in cases, the state government has relased fresh guidelines to curb the virus. The government on Tuesday ordered that all the shops will remain closed for three days in the weekend. The three-day closure was announced by the Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Assembly Secretariat on Thursday was sealed till July 27 after some of the staffs and members of the Assemby tested positive was reported to be positive for covid-19.

Besides Jharkhand, many others states including Kerala and Haryana have also announced a fine on violating the guidelines. In Kerala, fines of Rs 200 for first-time offence and Rs 5,000 for repeat offenders have been announced by the state government while Haryana has asked a penalty of Rs 500 if someone is found not wearing masks or spitting in public places.