The Rajasthan government has made mandatory videography of all marriages taking place in the state and announced that a fine of Rs 25,000 will be imposed if the wedding guests exceed the sanctioned number of 100.
With cases spiralling in Rajasthan, the government has taken several steps to try and contain the spread of the virus. On Sunday, 3260 coronavirus cases and 17 deaths were reported in the state. The total number of cases in the state stands at 2.43 lakh while the total deaths are 2,163.
Meanwhile, the health minister of the state, Raghu Sharma has tested corona positive. The minister tweeted that after symptoms of Covid-19, he had got tested and the report came positive. He said he had isolated himself and asked those who had come in contact with him to get themselves tested.
The state government has imposed a night curfew in eight of the worst affected districts – Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ajmer, Bikaner, Kota, Alwar and Bhilwara. All markets, malls and commercial establishments will close at 7 pm and night curfew will be imposed from 8 pm to 6 am. The fine for not wearing masks has been hiked from Rs 200 to Rs 500.
Chief minister Ashok Gehlot took a meeting to review the situation with the core group of ministers and officials and the eight district administrations on Sunday.
The CM directed that the fine for wedding guests exceeding 100 be increased from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000. The home department issued orders in this regard late on Sunday.
Gehlot said by hiking fines for not wearing masks and for exceeding the mandated number of guests at weddings the government’s intention was not to collect money or put hurdles but to save people’s lives. He said people had become very careless about following health protocols such as wearing masks and social distancing as the recovery rate had improved and the death rate had been controlled and this situation had to be controlled.
