Shopping mall fined 50,000 for flouting Covid safety norms

Tirupati: Municipal Corporation Commissioner PS Girisha imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on 'South India Shopping Mall' here on Wednesday for flouting Covid safety norms.

Following the spurt in Covid cases in the pilgrim city due to slackness on the part of public in adhering to norms, the Commissioner along with Corporation officials inspected the shopping mall located in a crowded area in the city to find the utter disregard of Covid safety norms in the shopping mall.

Commissioner to his dismay found the mall overcrowded while a number of children and aged were also being allowed freely shrugging off appropriate Covid behaviors like maintaining social distance and wearing masks. He warned the management of severe action if it failed to take immediately necessary steps to ensure Covid safety norms in the mall.

He also inspected another outlet Subhamasthu and wanted the manager to strictly follow the Covid protocols.

Speaking to the media, Commissioner Girisha said that much to the concern of authorities the positivity rate which was 2.5 jumped to 3.5 per cent in the city while the daily average Covid cases increased to 35-40 this week against 25 last week.

Attributing the increase to the slackness on the part of general public in observing safety rules like wearing masks and following social distance believing that the Covid second wave died down coupled with people with symptoms continuing to move in public, he wanted the people to be alert and follow safety norms as the Covid second wave is yet to die down.

Seeking the people to get isolated even if found with slight symptoms to check the spread of the dreaded virus, he said that at eight Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs), RT-PCR tests were being conducted. The ward secretariat staff and the health staff were instructed to shift those found positive immediately to Vishnu Nivasam Covid care centre for quarantine. He said admissions resumed at the centre after the spurt in Covid cases.

With regard to vaccination, Girisha said so far 2.08 lakh were vaccinated while about 15,000 who are above 45 years still not got vaccinated and stressed them to get vaccinated in the PHCs where vaccines are readily available.

In this connection, he said more cases were found among those who were not vaccinated and informed that five of a family who were not vaccinated were tested positive.

Answering a question, he said the corporation in the wake of an increase in Covid cases would step up measures like imposing fines on the business and commercial establishments as well as general public shrugging of Covid appropriate behaviour.