Report By Suresh Kar
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has addressed the Odisha People and appealed to take up a ‘14 Days’ Mask Abhiyan’ (campaign) to check spread of Coronavirus. He also mentioned that if someone will be found without mask at public places, they will be fined in double.
Justifying the 14-day initiative to aggressively cultivate wearing of mask, the CM said, “If we follow this rule strictly for 14 days, it will turn into a habit. Let we all pledge that we will wear mask properly, not merely hang it around our neck but by covering the nose and face properly then we can fight against Covid that he added.
The CM also urged all women members of each family to ensure all members particularly children wear masks when they venture out of their house. “Mothers should take up fight against Covid from inside while the government stands tall to protect everyone from the outside,”
Soon after the Chief Minister’s address to the people, the Health and Family Welfare department doubled the penalty for not wearing masks and violating regulations. As per the amended regulations, penalty for first and second offence will be Rs 2,000 while it will be Rs 5,000 for subsequent offence. Earlier, fine for not wearing mask was Rs 1,000 for first and second offence and Rs 5,000 for subsequent offence.
