A day after Kolkata police re-launched the drive against people for not wearing masks in public places, cops on Wednesday instructed hawkers to mandatorily wear masks while interacting with buyers.
Police teams on Wednesday visited the Gariahat, New Market, Burrabazar and Hatibagan markets instructing hawkers to wear masks.
The footfall is expected to rise at markets before Diwali. So, the police feel ensuring that hawkers wear masks could help prevent further spread of Covid-19.
Thousands of hawkers — who had incurred huge losses during the lockdown — are back on the streets and footpaths, hoping to make up for at least part of the losses.
“Hawkers can be super-spreaders as they are most exposed to strangers and interact with them at close proximity. We are asking all hawkers to mandatorily wear masks and frequently sanitise their hands for their safety as well as the safety of the buyers,” said an officer of Gariahat police station.
An officer in the central division said the footfall at dry fruit stalls and jewellery showrooms are likely to rise as Diwali comes closer.
Diwali will be celebrated on November 4.
“At this time, our primary focus is on ensuring 100 per cent compliance of the mask mandate by hawkers and customers. We have instructed hawkers to ask their customers to mask up,” said the officer.
The number of people prosecuted for not wearing masks in public places on Tuesday was 1,126. On Wednesday, 418 people were prosecuted for the same offence till afternoon.
A large number of people found without masks on Wednesday apparently told the police that they had kept their face coverings back home by mistake. Many of them were handed masks.
Calcutta has witnessed a spurt in the number of Covid-19 cases after Durga Puja. Experts had predicted it would happen because thousands of pandal-hoppers were spotted without masks on the Puja days.