With the number of Covid-19 cases dropping in the city, the number of people facing action for not wearing masks in public places has also reduced. Data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) shows that on an average, 2,500-3,000 persons have been fined daily in March so far. This is a drop of 84 per cent from the same period last year when over 19,000 citizens were caught and penalised for not wearing masks.
When asked if this is an indication of increased mask adherence in public places, a ward-level staffer, tasked with action against the offenders, said, “Rather, people have no fear now. There are more citizens on the street not wearing masks post the third wave.”
The staffer added, “After the drop in the daily cases and increased number of skirmishes between clean-up marshals and citizens, the action has reduced.”
Appointed for fining people moving around without masks and spitting at public places amid the pandemic, the BMC’s clean-up marshals have been at the centre of controversy for allegedly harassing people. Several videos of verbal and physical fights between clean-up marshals and people over wearing masks have gone viral.
Earlier this week, on March 8, the marshals penalised 2,349 persons while collecting a fine of Rs 4.69 lakh. On March 7, as many as 2,562 persons were penalised and fine amounting to Rs 5.12 lakh collected.
With the Covid outbreak in March 2020, the BMC had made masks mandatory in public areas. A fine of Rs 200 is levied for the same. During the peak of the pandemic in both 2020 and 2021, BMC chief IS Chahal had issued civic circulars asking the citizens to wear mask and adhere to social distancing rules while directing officials of all 24 wards to step up action and assigning minimum targets.
Last year, amid the second wave of Covid-19, the civic body had doubled the number of clean-up marshals from 2,400 to 4,800.
Collectively, BMC, Mumbai Police and Railway Police have collected Rs 91.31 crore in fines since April 2020 from people caught without masks.
On Wednesday, 54 new Covid-19 cases were recorded in Mumbai. Starting March, the daily cases have remained below 100 in the city. No deaths due to coronavirus were recorded on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the number of tests has also dropped in the city to 14,071 from a peak of 50,000-60,000 seen earlier.