Over 5,400 Sharjah residents fined for violating Covid-19 safety rules

Sharjah - Patrolling units found that the most common violation was exceeding the number of people allowed to travel in a car.

The Sharjah Police fined 5,432 individuals in a month for violating safety rules made mandatory in order to limit the spread of Covid-19.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Major-General Saif Al Zeri Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of the Sharjah Police, said the police intensified patrolling because of the increase in daily Covid-19 cases.
Patrolling units found that the most common violation was exceeding the nu mber of people allowed to travel together in a car. Only three unrelated persons are allowed to be in a car. The police caught and fined 950 people for flouting this rule.
Besides this, Maj-Gen Al Shamsi said "hi-tech monitoring devices" caught 569 people in enclosed indoor spaces without face masks despite them exhibiting flu-like symptoms. About 751 people were issued fines for not maintaining a safe physical distance.
Police patrols fined 1,542 people for either not wearing face masks or not maintaining a safe physical distance in crowded outdoor places like shopping malls. About 912 were issued fines for the same violation while taking public transportation.
Stressing that the police will continue to intensify inspections and awareness, the top Sharjah cop urged the public to adhere to the precautionary measures and contribute in curbing the spread of the virus.
In the first 15 days of September, authorities across the countries spotted 24,894 violations of Covid-19 safety measures. Dr Saif Al Dhaheri, the official spokesperson for the National Crisis Emergency and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA), had said that failure to wear face masks topped the list of violations. Having more than three persons in a vehicle was the next top violation during this period.
"The highest violations were detected in Dubai, followed by Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah," he had said.
List of main violations
>1,542 Did not wear masks or failed to maintain distance while outdoors
>950 Fined for breaking the 3-passenger limit rule in cars*
>569 Remained unmasked despite having flu-like symptoms in indoor spaces
>912 Found unmasked or too close to one another on public transport means
*Rule does not apply to immediate family members
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com 

• Sharjah