In an apparent reference to an incident wherein a Uruguayan woman threatened the Delhi police personnel when she was stopped for not wearing a mask, the external affairs ministry on Monday said it is regularly advising the diplomatic community to adhere to the lockdown guidelines. The incident had taken place on Saturday evening.
The ministry response on Monday came after reports indicated that the woman claimed her embassy had not informed her about the lockdown restrictions and argued with the police personnel which stopped her. While reiterating that the Government is regularly informing foreign envoys, sources also said the Government has issued a very limited number of curfew passes for essential work adding the restrictions are in their(diplomatic personnel) interest and well-being of each and everyone.
The woman was stopped at Paschimi Marg, Vasant Vihar when she was cycling there without a mask. The Delhi Government has made it compulsory for people to wear face masks when stepping outside their houses in a bid to check the spread of coronavirus.
The Residents Welfare Association(RWA) of Vasant Vihar often complained to the police that diplomats and other foreigners living in the area are stepping out for jogging and cycling without wearing masks.
A senior police officer, along with his team, was patrolling the area when they stopped the foreign national while she was cycling for violating the Government order, the police said.
In a video clip recorded by the police, the woman could be seen arguing with the police when he told her that she was violating a government order by not wearing a mask. The woman continued to argue and also noted down the name of the police officer, a senior police official said.
When asked to show her identity card, she refused to oblige, following which the police noted down her name, officials said. A representative from the RWA was present when the incident took place. He assured the police that they were taking all measures and trying to convince the foreign nationals staying in the area to follow the guidelines. The police later wrote to the embassy of Uruguay about the incident.