Chennai: Tamilnadu Health department today made wearing facemasks in public mandatory as a preventive step to control the surge of Covid-19 cases.
Anybody found without a facemask will have to pay a penalty of Rs 500.
Following this, district administrations have been asked to form special teams across the State to monitor masks and other rules are being followed. ‘Violators will be taken to task,’ sources said.
The decision to collect a fine of Rs 500 from members of the public was in the backdrop of laxity shown among people in adhering to Covid-19 protocols while in public places.
According to Principal Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan. ‘We have directed the officials of local administration, health and police department to collect fines from those members of the public who were not seen wearing a facial mask while in public places.’
Meanwhile, the number of persons who have tested positive for Covid-19 on the campus of IIT Madras increased to 30, with another 18 samples returning positive. A total of 666 samples had so far been tested.