As citizens continue to ignore Covid safety guidelines, Nagaland government cracks the whip

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Nov. 13 (EMN): Nagaland government issued an order on Friday authorising various enforcement agencies to impose penalties on those who disobey Covid-19 safety protocols issued by the authorities, in public domain.

The order will come into force immediately and will remain valid till further orders.

For persons not wearing mask in public places including offices, banks, markets and business establishments, hotels, public transport, social and religious gatherings or meetings, institutions, INR 100 will be imposed every time the offence is committed. The government has stipulated ASI and above in Police department, and assistant road safety and enforcement inspector and above in Transport department as enforcement agencies.

It also warned that business establishments, shops, restaurants and hotels will be sealed with or without suspension of registration or license if hand washing facility and hand sanitisers are not provided. The sealing of the business establishments will continue till hand washing and hand sanitiser facilities are provided in their respective shops.

This penalty will come into effect only after one week of the first offence, which is, imposition of INR 500 with warning. The respective urban local bodies have been entrusted with enforcing this stipulation.

For citizens not adhering to the limit on the number of passengers as per guidelines (bus, taxi, autorickshaw), a case will be registered against them under relevant sections of the National Disaster Management Act, 2005 and Nagaland Epidemic Diseases (Covid-19) Regulations, 2020.

Further, a case will be registered against those violating or not complying with any other clauses/provisions of SOPs/advisories currently in force, including but not limited to quarantine, isolation, contact tracing testing (e.g., refusal to disclose contacts, refusal to undergo testing, breaking quarantine or isolation norm, discrimination or stigmatisation of those affected by Covid-19, etc.). The respective district task forces will be the enforcement agency.

In Kohima, the Association of Kohima Municipal Wards Panchayat (AKMWP) has been enforcing mandatory wearing of facemask. It may be mentioned that AKMWP is a registered ULB under the state’s Home department. 

On November 9, volunteers of the association, while imposing restriction in state capital, had recorded as much as 1900 defaulters. On the second day (November 10), a total of 1200 were recorded to have been moving in and around Kohima without wearing protective mask.

While the imposition is still continuing, the AKMWP will be releasing this week’s defaulters report on November 14 (Saturday).