With the festival season round the corner, the Vellore City Municipal Corporation is gearing up to monitor big commercial establishments and hotels and take action against those that are violating the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) issued by the State Health Department.
The Health Department, in an order said that a fine of ₹5,000 would be imposed on those violating the SOPs issued for salons and spas, gymnasiums, commercial establishments and other public places.
Those not wearing a face mask in public places will have to pay ₹200. Those spitting in public places and violating distancing norms will have to pay ₹500 as a fine amount.
The Vellore City Municipal Corporation has 60 wards and four zones. “In the last one month we have collected close to ₹3 lakh as fines from shops and establishments for not following SOPs including not wearing masks or not following physical distancing norms. Prior to that too we collected close to ₹3 lakh. Over 75 staff from the Health Department are on the job,” said S. Chitrasena, city health officer, Vellore City Municipal Corporation.
Ms. Chitrasena said that there are 150 big shops and hotels in her area. “During the festival season, there will be a lot of crowds in them. We are first going to create awareness about the SOPs. If they do not follow the regulations, we will impose a fine of ₹5,000 on them,” she added.
Ms. Chitrasena said that autorickshaw announcements to create awareness about the SOPs are also being done in all the four zones. “We will be intensifying awareness in the coming days,” she added.
P. Balamuragan, sanitary officers, Vellore City Municipal Corporation, Zone 1 said that he conducted inspections in Katpadi on Tuesday and found that most of the shop owners and sales persons were not wearing masks. “Though a sanitiser bottle is kept outside, it is not refilled. Physical distancing is not maintained. On Tuesday, I imposed a fine on 10 shops that flouted norms,” he said.
