Those Who Violate Social Distancing To Be Fined Upto Rs 500 In Bhubaneswar, Cuttack

Bhubaneswar: Commissioner of Police Dr Sudhansu Sarangi has, with the sanction of the state government, laid down regulations to enforce social distancing in busy market areas of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

Those who violate regulations will be slapped fines up to Rs 500 by ASIs and above.

All shop-owners/commercial establishments, as well as customers will have to maintain social-distancing regulations to ensure that crowds are not formed within their premises or in their immediate vicinity.

The regulation comes into effect from May 1 and will remain in force for 60 days.

Following regulations will be put in place from May 1:

(a) Social distance will mean a distance of 2 metres or 6 feet between any two persons.

(b) All shop-owners/commercial establishments will put in place social-distancing measures and will ensure that crowds are not formed within their premises or in their immediate vicinity violating social-distancing requirements.

(c) Owners of shops and commercial establishments in the limits of the Municipal Corporation of Bhubaneswar must strictly follow the orders of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and in case of Cuttack orders of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation regarding prohibitions on opening of a particular shop or a particular category of shop and also stick to the opening times decided by the respective Municipal Corporation.

(d) Buyers will also be liable for violating social-distancing norms. They will be expected to maintain distance from others and behave in an orderly manner.

(e) Owners of shops and commercial establishments will have the responsibility of reporting to the police about refusal of any buyer or a group of buyers to follow social distancing norms by immediately calling up Dial 100 or in any other convenient way. Not reporting to the police and allowing violation of social-distancing norms on the pretext that buyers are not cooperating will make the shop owner equally responsible for the violation.

(f) All owners of shops and commercial establishments, sales persons and employees will wear masks all the time.

(g) No customer will be allowed entry into any shop without wearing a mask and they cannot remove the mask at any time.

(h) All shops/commercial establishment will provide for hand washing/use of sanitizers.

(i) No one will be allowed to enter any market area chewing gutka, tobacco etc and no spitting will be allowed.