© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday asked all airlines and airports to ensure strict compliance of Covid-19 protocols such as wearing face mask properly. The regulator also asked airport operators to take help from local police and security agencies and levy fines on people not wearing face masks, DGCA stated in a circular.
The order comes days after a Delhi High Court verdict, on June 3, asked DGCA to issue “binding directions” to all staff deployed at airports and in aircraft, including flight attendants, pilots and others, to take strict action against those who violate norms related to masks and Covid-19 hygiene.
Buy Now | Our best subscription plan now has a special price
The DGCA had originally mandated wearing of masks, except under some circumstances, in March last year following another Delhi HC order. While the rules have stayed in effect, they were not being fully enforced.
“It is noticed that very often, the norms are not implemented on the ground with the seriousness with which they are framed,” the June 3 court order read.
The aviation regulator said airlines should ensure that passengers are sensitised on the precautionary measures and that they should make arrangements for extra masks to provide to passengers, if required. “In case any passenger on board an aircraft refuses to wear a mask or violates the Covid-19 protocol for passengers even after repeated warnings, during the course of the flight, such passenger may be treated as “unruly passenger”…,” DGCA stated in the order.
Airports have been asked to increase announcements and surveillance to ensure passengers are wearing masks at the terminal premises. “In case any passenger does not wear a mask or refuses to wear a mask and follow Covid-19 protocol, he (or she) should be fined as per the respective state law where the airport is located and he may even be handed over to security agencies for dealing with the matter as per applicable law,” it stated.
Interestingly, the Delhi HC order noted that the advocate appearing for DGCA, who said that the regulator was “seriously implementing the norms” regarding wearing masks at airports and in the aircraft, appeared virtually since she was infected with Covid-19.
A spike in fresh Covid-19 cases continued in India on Wednesday, with the country recording 5,233 new cases — there are 28,857 active cases across the country now. Daily coronavirus infections in India were recorded above 5,000 after 93 days, taking the total to 4,31,90,282.
