KATHMANDU, MAY 18
The Supreme Court issued an interim order to the government telling it not to force people to wear masks and not to impose fine or keep them in holding centres for not wearing masks.
The order was issued by a single bench of Justice Deepak Kumar Karki in response to a writ petition filed by Sagar Paudel against the government.
The court also issued show cause notice to the government.
The court observed that although it was the duty of the public to wear mask in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government had not distributed masks free to the poor people and hence Nepal Police had no power to impose fine on people and keep them in holding centres for hours for not wearing masks.
In another case filed by Kirtinath Sharma Paudel against the government, a single bench of Justice Deepak Karki issued interim order to the government telling it to provide treatment to COVID-19 patients from makeshift or temporary hospitals if beds are not available in the designated hospitals.
The court ordered the government to recruit the required number of doctors and health professionals in hospitals. The court also asked the government to provide COVID-19 vaccine to people that have not been vaccinated yet.
A version of this article appears in the print on May 19, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
