Amid concerns about Omicron, a new variant of the novel Coronavirus detected in a few nations, the BMC has decided to intensify its crackdown on the maskless. Of late, BMC has been penalising around 5,000 people daily, which is way below the average of 20,000 violators caught in March and April after the second COVID outbreak.

Many people have let their guard down since the city started returning to normalcy and daily cases dropped significantly. Huge crowds have become normal in the city and masks are missing from many faces while several others wear it on their chin. Even the authorities — the BMC and police — were slacking in acting against the violators.