The adminstration in Leh-Ladakh has made wearing of face masks mandatory in the region, amid a spurt in coronavirus cases. "In exercise of powers vested in me under Section-34 of Disaster Management Act, 2005 and as a measure to contain the spread of COVID-19; it is hereby ordered that the general public as well as government officials (both civilian and armed forces) shall mandatorily wear the mask at public places without any exemption. In case of any violation, penal action under rules shall be taken against the violators. This shall come into force with effect from April 9, 2020," a statement released by the District Magistrate read.