Consider imposing fines on passengers not sporting masks ‘properly’: DGCA to airports

Aviation regulator DGCA on Tuesday informed airports to extend surveillance to make sure COVID-19 norms are adopted and think about imposing spot fines, with the assistance of police authorities, on passengers who’re discovered not sporting masks correctly and never sustaining social distancing.
On March 13, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had requested airports and airways to make sure that passengers put on masks and keep social distance always throughout air journey, and take motion in opposition to these violating the norms.

In a round issued on Tuesday, the regulator stated, “During the surveillance of some airports, it has come to notice that compliance (of COVID-19 protocols) is not satisfactory.”
“All airport operators, therefore, are requested to ensure that the instructions on COVID-19 protocol from the standpoint of wearing face mask properly, covering nose and mouth, as well as maintaining social distance norms within the airport premises are followed scrupulously,” it stated.
Accordingly, all airport operators can improve surveillance on this regard, the DGCA stated.
“The possibility of taking punitive action, such as levy of spot fines in accordance with the law, shall also be explored with local police authorities so as to serve a deterrent for violation of COVID-19 protocol,” it acknowledged.
The March 13 round had requested the airport operators at hand over the passengers, who will not be following the COVID-19 protocol even after repeated warnings, to the safety businesses.

Moreover, it had requested the airways to de-board the passengers who refused to stick to COVID-19 norms even after repeated warnings, and think about treating them as “unruly”.
An “unruly” passenger might be banned from flying by an airline for any interval between three and 24 months, as per DGCA norms.
Fifteen passengers, who have been discovered violating COVID-19 norms on home flights of three airways between March 15 and March 23, could be banned for 3 months by carriers, senior officers of the DGCA had stated final week.
These 15 passengers included 9 of IndiGo, 4 of Alliance Air and two of AirAsia India.
While most of those passengers refused to put on masks onboard the flights, others refused to placed on PPE robes which can be obligatory for these sitting within the center seats.