Spitting banned in public places, violators face fine
Spitting in public places would be a punishable offence with fine under the new lockdown guideline issued by the Home Ministry as India steps up efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
There should be a strict ban on sale of liquor and tobacco and the “spitting should be strictly prohibited” during the new lockdown period extended until May 3.
The guidelines for Covid-19 management said “no organisation, management of public place shall allow gathering of five or more persons”.
In the fresh order issued on April 14, the ministry said all work places “shall have adequate arrangement for temperature screening and providing sanitisers at convenient places”.
“Work places shall have a gap of one hour between shifts and will stagger the lunch break of staff to ensure social distancing. Persons above 65 years of age and persons with co-morbidities and parents of children below the age of five may be encouraged to work from home.”
The order specifically mentions the use of Aarogya Setu app. “Use of Arogya Setu will be encouraged for all employees both private and public.”
The order stressed that all organisations would sanitise their work places between shifts and “large meetings will be prohibited”.
For the manufacturing units, the order mentions frequent cleaning of common surface and mandatory hand washing.
“No overlap of shifts and staggered lunch with social distancing in canteens shall be ensured.”
“Intensive communication and training on good hygiene practices shall be taken up.”
The revised guidelines will not apply in containment zones, as demarcated by states and district administrations.
“If any new area is included in the category of containment zone, the activities allowed in that area till the time of its categorisation as a containment zone, will be suspended except for those activities as are specifically permitted under the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.”
Besides, wearing face cover is compulsory at all public places and workplaces, the guidelines said.
To mitigate hardship to the public, some additional activities will be allowed and come into effect from April 20, the ministry said.
The new order was issued after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday morning extended the 21-day lockdown until May 3.