NEW DELHI : The Jharkhand cabinet on Wednesday approved the Jharkhand Contagious Disease Ordinance under which the violators can face a penalty of up to Rs 1 lakh and a jail term of up to 2 years for violating the COVID-19 preventive measures.
The violators can be fined of Rs 1 lakh for not wearing face masks and spitting in public places or can be sentenced to a jail term of up to 2 years if caught breaking COVID-19 rules. Not maintaining public hygiene and spitting in public are also among the punishable offences, under the Ordinance.
The decision by the Jharkhand cabinet came amid the rising cases of coronavirus in the state.
Jharkhand during the last 24 hours reported 439 new cases of COVID-19, while three more people died due to the disease taking the total death toll in the state to 64.
There are 3,570 active cases in the state, with the infection tally rising to 6,682. A total of 3,048 people have so far recovered and discharged from hospitals in the state.
The decision came as the cases in Jharkhand are witnessing an upward trend leaving no place for patients in government-run hospitals. In view of the shortage of space, the state government is reportedly mulling to make makeshift COVID-19 facilities in private hospitals and banquet halls to use them as isolation wards.
However, reports suggest that people have been demanding that the government should shift the isolation wards, built earlier, from residential colonies to some other places where the daily life of people should not get affected.
The coronavirus in India is increasing exponentially. The deadly virus has so far afflicted over 12 lakh people across the country, with last 1 lakh cases coming in just three days. The death due to the deadly pathogen also crossed the 29,000-mark in the country with a surge of 1,129 deaths during the last 24 hours.
