Covid-19 surge: Masks mandatory in Maharashtra? State Health Minister clarifies

New Delhi: Amid a spurt in Covid-19 cases in the state, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Saturday (June 4) clarified that the Uddhav Thackeray-led government has not made masks mandatory but advised people to wear them. Tope told mediapersons in Pune, “Although the letter by the health ministry says the use of masks is a must, it is in fact an appeal to people to wear masks. No action will be taken against those who don't wear them.” The health minister said it is recommended to wear masks in enclosed places like trains, buses, cinemas, auditoriums, offices, hospitals, colleges and schools. “People are expected to wear masks in such places,” PTI cited him as saying. 

On Friday, the Maharashtra health department in a letter to district and civic authorities had directed them to increase testing and asked people to wear masks in enclosed spaces. However, this led to confusion as to whether the government has imposed the mask mandate again. The state government had struck down the mask compulsion in April this year as the cases declined. 

Mumbai, Pune, Palghar, Thane and parts of Raigad district have been witnessing a surge in coronavirus cases, Tope said. 

“The state task force on COVID-19 which met two days ago in Mumbai decided to appeal to people to wear masks more frequently to minimise the chances of contracting the infection. The state government will observe the situation for the next 15 days,” the minister said. 

He added that although Covid-19 cases are increasing, hospitalisations are still very low, indicating that infections are very mild. “The state government has also asked all district collectors and municipal commissioners to accelerate testing and vaccination. The authorities should monitor whether people are wearing masks at designated places,” Tope said.

On Thursday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray urged people to use face masks and get vaccinated if they want to avoid Covid-19 curbs. He said the government will monitor the situation for a fortnight at the state COVID-19 task force meeting. 

Meanwhile, Maharashtra on Saturday registered 1,357 new Covid-19 infections and one death, as per the state health department data. This is the third consecutive day when Maharashtra logged over 1,000 infections. The state has currently 5,888 active cases. The coronavirus caseload in the state is at 78,91,703 while the death toll stands at 1,47,865. 

(With agency inputs)