Drivers travelling alone in cars won’t be fined for not wearing masks: Delhi health dept

The Delhi health department in a late night order on Friday said drivers travelling alone in cars will not be penalised for not wearing face masks.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), at a meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, decided to exempt lone occupants of a vehicle from wearing face masks.

The Delhi Epidemic Diseases, (Management of COVID-19) Regulations, 2020 was issued through a notification by the DDMA in 2020.

Not wearing face masks in public places has been made an offence under the notification.

“The penalty under this provision of the said notification will not be applicable to a lone person in a self-driven four wheeler vehicle,” the health department order stated.

Not wearing face mask in public places attracts a penalty of Rs 2,000 in Delhi. Enforcement teams had also been catching and penalising lone drivers in vehicles if found without wearing masks.

The Delhi High Court had on February 1 directed that the DDMA should look at several orders issued by it in relation to COVID-19 protocols referring to the mandatory face mask norm for lone occupants of vehicles.