BBMP sets up multi-level committees to enforce rule and penalize violators
Sole exemption to tiny tots based on health concerns
BENGALURU:
After all the hemming and hawing about whether single individuals driving their cars need to wear a mask/face covering, the official verdict is out. Yes, says the government’s Covid-19 technical advisory committee. And the Covid mandarins have little patience for what they probably feel are ‘nit-picking’ questions – like whether masks are a must for single drivers in cars with all the windows closed, or whether a biker without a pillion rider is required to wear one.
BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad, who had taken it upon himself to seek a clutch of ‘clarifications’ from the ‘experts’, was immediately off the block on Tuesday with an order that formalizes the panel’s ‘advice’. Furthermore, Prasad has set up committees at the ward, division and zonal level as well as at the BBMP head office to ensure enforcement of the souped-up mask rule as well as physical distancing in Bengaluru.
As a kind of concession, considering the difficulty of wearing masks for children who are below 5 years and in sync with WHO and UNICEF advisories, the BBMP order exempts children of this age group from the mask rule. “It can be difficult for very young children to wear masks. It is recommended that children below 5 years of age need not wear masks. This advice is motivated by a ‘do no harm’ approach,” Prasad said in his order.
The ‘clarifications’ that the BBMP Commissioner had sought from the technical panel were:
• Should a person driving alone in a four-wheeler with the window glasses closed wear a mask?
Reply: Wearing of a mask is mandatory.
• Should an individual driving alone in a four-wheeler wear a mask If the window glasses are open and the car has stopped near a traffic signal? Or if he opens the window glasses to talk to a person who has stopped his car next to him?
Reply: Wearing a mask is mandatory.
• Should a single rider of a two-wheeler without a pillion rider wear a mask while riding?
Reply: Wearing a mask is mandatory.
• Should a two-wheeler rider without a pillion rider wear a mask when he has stopped the vehicle?
Reply: Wearing a mask is mandatory.
In his order, the BBMP Commissioner pointed out that Covid-19 is a viral infection that is predominantly transmitted through respiratory droplets when coughing, sneezing, speaking, etc. A face mask when worn by a healthy person is known to protect that person, and when worn by an infected individual will prevent further spread of the virus. Widespread and proper use of appropriate face masks in a community is known to effectively prevent the spread of the infection.
Everyone should wear a mask whenever they are in public, with a few exceptions. The use of masks is particularly important in environments where there is a higher risk of virus transmission. These include indoor environments, and particularly relate to the ‘3 Cs’:
* Closed/confined places with poor ventilation.
* Crowded places with many people.
* Close-contact settings where people may have close conversations.
Several eyes watching you!
Prasad further noted in the order that more stringent measures are required by the BBMP and the police to ensure that there is absolutely no violation of the rules and every citizen leaving his house wears a mask and maintains social distance.
Committees to enforce the rule will be formed in all 198 wards, 27 divisions, 8 zones and at the head office. The committees will comprise an assistant engineer, a senior health inspector, a ward marshal and a police officer nominated by the city police commissioner. The committees will tour the wards and slap fines on people violating the rules.
Similarly, the divisional level committee will have an executive engineer, a medical officer of health, and a senior police officer to be nominated by the police commissioner. The divisional committees will review the functioning of the ward committees every week.
The zonal committee will consist of the joint commissioner, chief engineer, health officer, zonal marshal supervisor, and a senior police officer nominated by the police commissioner. These committees will review the reports received from the divisional committees regarding the enforcement of the rules by ward committees.
Lastly, the BBMP head office committee will have Naveen Raj Singh, IAS, D Randeep, Special Commissioner (Solid Waste Management), Sarfaraz Khan, Joint Commissioner (Solid Waste Management), Col Rajbir Singh, Chief Marshal Officer, 8 zonal marshal supervisors, the Chief Health Officer (Public Health), the Chief Engineer (Solid Waste Management) and a senior police officer to be nominated by the police commissioner.
