Masks mandatory again in four NCR districts of Haryana
Haryana health minister Anil Vij on Monday said in view of increasing cases of Covid, wearing face masks was made mandatory in four NCR districts – Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonepat and Jhajjar
Haryana health minister Anil Vij on Monday said in view of increasing cases of Covid, wearing face masks was made mandatory in four NCR districts – Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonepat and Jhajjar. Those not wearing masks will be fined.
He has sent a team to Gurugram to study the upward trend of Covid but the outcome is yet to come.
Additional chief secretary for health Rajeev Arora said those found without a mask in public will have to pay a fine of ₹500 from Tuesday. “The state government has decided to make wearing of masks mandatory once again in four districts. Till now, the maximum number of cases is being reported from Gurugram district, and as a precautionary measure, masks are being made mandatory in all four districts to prevent further increase,” said Arora.
On Monday, Haryana reported 234 cases,198 of which were in Gurugram, 21 in Faridabad, seven in Sonepat, three in Ambala and one each in Karnal, Rohtak, Jind, Rewari and Fatehabad, Vij said. The state has a Covid positivity rate of 3.22%.
Vij said the government was sending samples to Rohtak for genome sequencing to determine which variant of Covid the patient has contracted, based on which further strategies on how to deal with the rising cases will be decided. The new XE variant is already leading to a rise in cases in Gujarat and some other states, health officials said.
“We are fully prepared to deal with the situation. Our staff is ready with equipment, beds and oxygen, but people need to be alert as well. Citizens must wear masks, use sanitiser and wash their hands regularly,” Vij said.
Chief medical officer Dr Virender Yadav said, “Most cases being reported in Gurugram are from people within the same family and those who have a travel history (domestic and international). We are carrying out contact tracing of all immediate contacts of positive cases. Daily testing numbers have also been increased in district. Testing is being done at crowded places on a regular basis to stop spread of the virus.”
On April 2, Haryana had withdrawn the mandatory mask rule with immediate effect in the wake of a significant fall in Covid cases. The Haryana government had issued an order that said: “No penalty or fine shall be imposed for not wearing a mask in public/workplaces”.
