Individuals not wearing mask in public places to be fined Rs 100

The District Administration Office (DAO) Kathmandu has issued a statement urging all people to follow the rules and regulations mentioned in the Ordinance on COVID-19 Crisis Management, 2021.

The ordinance was issued by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on May 20 as per Article 114 (1) of the Constitution of Nepal on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers.

The District Administration Office has mentioned that the ordinance was issued so as to control the spread of the coronavirus in the country and to help in the treatment of patients infected with the contagion. It has said that precautionary measures need to be adopted at the individual level in the fight against COVID-19.

The notice issued by DAO states that if any person creates an obstacle during the implementation of any of the provisions mentioned in the ordinance then that person will be liable to face prison term of one year or slapped with a fine of Rs five lakh or both.

It has also stated that the guidelines of the ordinance must be followed by all and if any person is found violating any guideline then the person will be liable to face jail term of six months or a fine of Rs three lakh or both.

The office has also said that all the orders mentioned in the ordinance must be followed and if any individual is found not doing so then they could be slapped with a fine of Rs one lakh. If any order is violated by an organisation then the fine is Rs five lakh.

The notice also mentions that if a person is seen in a public place without a face mask then they will be made to pay an immediate fine of Rs 100 for each time the offence is committed. Moreover, it also states that any person found moving around when a restriction on movement has been announced then they will be liable to pay an immediate fine of Rs 200 for each time the offence is committed.

Similarly, with regards to vehicles if a two-wheeler is found to have violated travel restriction then the fine is Rs 2,000 for each time the offence is committed and the fine has to be paid immediately to security personnel on duty. The fine for four-wheelers has been set at Rs 5,000. The vehicles can also be impounded by the security personnel for a definite period of time. However, this rule does not apply to those vehicles that have obtained permission from the concerned authority or while carrying patients.

The notice further mentions that besides being penalised as per the rules mentioned above the chief district officer can imprison any individual or organisation for a further six months.