The New Town authorities and Bidhannagar commissionerate on Wednesday launched a mask drive across several places in the township.
While most offenders spotted during the drive were let off with warnings and given masks, four persons were prosecuted for arguing with the officials and giving excuses like “this strain is a milder one” and “I cannot breathe with a mask on”.
An official of the New Town Kolkata Development Authority said they would keep conducting such drives in view of the recent surge in omicron cases because of its highly contagious nature.
Moreover, the number of fresh cases in New Town is on the rise like in other parts of the city, the official of the development authority said.
On multiple occasions, Metro has reported how Calcuttans have let their guard down, and how so many people are being spotted without any face cover across the city.
“We want to spread awareness about the importance of wearing a mask — which is the first line of defence in the fight against Covid-19. We also want to ensure that nobody steps out of home without a face covering,” said NTKD chairman Debashis Sen.
A police officer, who took part in the drive at places such as New Town bus stand, Kolkata Gate crossing and City Centre II, said they were stumped when several people gave a host of excuses for not sporting a mask.
“From telling us that this variant is nothing to be afraid of to having aggravated breathing issues with a mask on, we heard a range of excuses from the offenders. Despite us requesting people and handing masks, some even refused to wear them. We then had to prosecute them,” said the officer.
On Wednesday, the number of fresh cases stood at 2,540 in North 24-Parganas. At the New Town bus stand, several men and women who were waiting
for buses were issued warnings and handed over masks on the spot. “Several had masks in their bags or pockets but were not wearing them. The moment they spotted our team, they took them out and covered their faces,” said an authority official.
Public health experts say that even a fully vaccinated person needs to wear mask while going out, in order to fight Covid.
