Karnataka doctor refuses to wear mask at mall, calls it `foolish rules`

A Karnataka doctor who was shopping without a mask and arguing about the rules calling it foolish has been charged under the Pandemic Act. The whole incident was caught on CCTV camera.

Bengaluru: In a curious case from Karnataka, a doctor refused to wear a face mask while shopping at a mall calling it a 'foolish rule'. 

The man identified as Dr Srinivas Kakkilaya was at the billing counter of a grocery store at a mall in Mangaluru when the store manager and others asked him to put on a face mask. The man was reminded that he is required to wear a mask by law when entering a public space.

Reportedly, the doctor refused to wear the mask and complained about "foolish rules", the manager reminded him it is the law and pointed out that other customers and all his employees had their masks on too.

The entire incident was captured in the store's security camera. The doctor is seen dismissing the pleas from another customer who was also wearing a mask. 

The Karnataka Police has filed a case under the Pandemic Act after receiving a written complaint from the manager, who said the doctor's actions had put himself, his employees and other customers at risk.

Meanwhile, Karnataka reported 34281 new COVID-19 cases while the single-day recoveries was at 49953, the Health department data showed. However, the state on the day recorded a spike in fatalities at 468, as the total number of infections stood at 2306655 and the death toll at 23306.