Rs3,000 fine for not wearing face mask in Islamabad

Face-cover in public made mandatory by administration

ISLAMABAD: In line with a decision taken by the federal government the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA) on Sunday declared that all residents have to wear a face mask when out in public places.

Those failing to abide by the rules will face a penalty of Rs3,000.

In a statement issued on Sunday, ICTA Deputy Commissioner (DC) Hamza Shafqaat said that “As per the guidelines issued by the ministry of health, the use of [face] masks in Islamabad has been deemed mandatory and the district administration will strictly implement it,” he said.

“Those citizens who are observed to be not covering their faces will be fined.”

Shafqaat further said that the district administration will try not to fully enforce the measure on the first violation of the rule and will instead attempt to first convince the offender to wear the mask.

He added that they are also working on ensuring sufficient availability of masks in the federal capital.

“We have distributed around 0.2 million masks in the federal capital for free,” he said.

To ensure that everyone has access to masks at an affordable price, Shafqaat said that they are controlling it under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

“We will take strict action on price gouging,” he said.

Moreover, the DC said that district officials will visit all public places regularly to check whether the orders are being implemented or not and to fines violators.

The violator could be jailed too depending on the severity of the flouting of social distancing protocols and precautionary guidelines.

The decision comes as Islamabad recorded its highest ever, single-day count of infections at 226 novel coronavirus (Covid-19) cases and four associated deaths. So far, some 2,418 Covid-19 cases have been reported in the federal capital, with a total of 27 deaths.

The hardest-hit areas of the federal capital include Sector I-10, Lohi Bher, Tarlai, Sector G-9, G-8, G-7, G-6, and Bhara Kahu. Of these I-10, Lohi Bher, Tarlai and G-9 have over 100 cases.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1^st, 2020.