The Jharkhand government launched a special mask-checking drive on Thursday to ensure Covid appropriate behaviour, especially in Ranchi district, where the administration also slapped notices on at least 16 shops for not adhering to Covid-19 protocols and warned their owners of strict action if they are caught violating the rules again.

Ranchi deputy commissioner Chhavi Ranjan launched the drive at GEL Church Complex on MG Road in the morning and urged the people to follow the thumb rule of “SMS – social distancing, mask and sanitiser”.

Ranjan said the administration would run the mask-checking drive throughout the district and any person caught without a facemask would be fined Rs 500 on the spot as per provisions of the law.

“As Covid cases are on the rise in our city, I request all citizens of Ranchi to wear facemasks whenever they move out of their homes and follow social distancing in public places,” Ranjan said.

Ranchi police had already slapped fines of Rs 500 on over 100 peopel for flouting Covid norms on streets by the time this report was filed, sources said. Most of the violators admitted their mistake and vowed to wear a mask whenever they moved out for any work, police said.

SDO Sameera S at a shop in a mall in Ranchi on Thursday. Picture by Manob Chowdhary

As per government data, Ranchi alone accounts for 373 of the 599 active Covid-19 cases in Jharkhand. The count of active cases here had dropped to as low as 198 in February, and almost doubled by mid-March, according to government data.

Ranchi sub-divisional officer (SDO) Sameera S inspected shops in malls and shopping complexes across the city on Thursday and found that at least 16 shops were not following the Covid-19 precautions mentioned in the guidelines of the Centre and state.

At least three shops in Nucleus Mall, four in Panchvati Plaza, three in Atal Vendor Market, three shops in Hari Om Tower and three shops on Circular Road were served notices by the administration. The SDO also visited various mobile repair shops on Circular Road and asked them to follow social distancing and other Covid-19 precautions.

“Most of the shops that were served notices did not provide sanitisers to customers and did not maintain a register of address and contact details of customers who visited them,” said Sameera, adding that these shops would be sealed if they were found to be violating rules again.