Prime Minister of THIS country fined Rs 14,000 for not wearing face mask under new COVID-19 restrictions

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was fined for not wearing a face mask at a meeting on Monday under new coronavirus restrictions amid a new wave of infections.

Prayuth was among the first to be punished under a set of measures imposed on Monday that include a fine of up to 20,000 baht (Rs 47,610) for those who fail to wear masks in public. He was fined 6,000 baht (Rs 14000), the DPA news agency reported.

Later, governor of Bangkok Aswin Kwanmuang Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang posted on Facebook that he had filed a complaint against the PM for violating COVID-19 rules. 

"After the meeting, the prime minister asked me as the governor of Bangkok to investigate if the case is wrongdoing. I informed him that his action violates the announcement by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration which ordered people in Bangkok to wear surgical masks or cloth masks anytime they leave their residence. Violation results in a fine up to 20,000 baht under Section 51 of the 2015 Disease Control Act," Governor Aswin Kwanmuang wrote on his official Facebook page.

Thai authorities introduced the measures to curb a new wave of coronavirus cases spurred by a more contagious variant first discovered in Britain.

Bangkok, which has the largest caseload in the country, has also closed over 30 types of businesses including cinemas, barbershops, zoos, museums, and gyms. Shopping malls and convenience stores have been ordered to close at night.

Thailand reported 2,048 new cases on Monday, and eight new deaths, on the 4th consecutive day with over 2,000 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases to 57,508.