A man dressed as Mahatma Gandhi puts a mask on an auto-driver in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.
Highlights
- Punjab govt advisory stating that wearing facemasks will be mandatory in public places.
- Many north Indian states, especially ones around Delhi have retained the mask mandate.
- This is in view of rising Covid cases. India recorded 2,300 new Covid cases on Thursday.
As Covid-19 cases are on the rise in the country, the Punjab government on Thursday issued an advisory stating that wearing masks will be mandatory in public places in the state.
In the advisory, the Punjab govt said that the wearing of masks should be ensured in closed environments such as in buses, trains, aircraft, cinema halls, shopping malls, departmental stores, offices, and classrooms.
Punjab on Wednesday had reported 30 fresh cases, taking its coronavirus tally to 7,59,334.
Read the advisory here:
Many north Indian states, especially the ones around the national capital have advised the citizens to wear masks in crowded places, despite making them optional a mere while ago. On Thursday, India had reported over 2,000 fresh cases in 24 hours.
Here is the list of states that retained the mask mandate:
Delhi: After a meeting held by The Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Wednesday, the Delhi govt announced that the mask mandate will return to the national capital. The DDMA also reimposed a fine of Rs 500 on violators.
Haryana: On Monday, the Haryana govt said that given rising Covid-19 cases, masks will be made mandatory in four districts around Delhi - Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonepat, and Jhajjar. Violators will be fined.
Chandigarh: The union terrorism also mandated wearing masks in public places on Tuesday. "Considering the increasing number of COVID cases in some of the States and UTs, all the residents of UT Chandigarh are advised to wear face masks in the crowded places", said the Chandigarh Health department in an official statement.
Uttar Pradesh: In UP, masks have again become mandatory in the districts of Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Meerut, Bulandshahr, Baghpat, and Lucknow. The UP government had last month said that wearing masks would not be mandatory in the state from April 1. The new mandates came in view of rising Covid cases in and around the state.
