Return of mask rule in Delhi likely to be discussed next week at key meet

The fresh cases came on the back of 13,576 tests, of which 2.39% samples returned positive results.

The Capital on Thursday added 325 Covid-19 cases on Thursday, a marginal rise from 299 the previous day, even as officials aware of the matter said the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) is likely to meet on Wednesday next week to discuss the prevailing pandemic situation and explore if the mask mandate needs to be brought back.

A CISF personnel wears a face mask as he stand guards, at IGI Airport, amid the lockdown, in New Delhi. (Amal KS/HT Photo/For Representative Purposes Only)

The fresh cases came on the back of 13,576 tests, of which 2.39% samples returned positive results. The test positivity rate dipped slightly from 2.49% on Wednesday. The Capital recorded an average of 201 cases each day over the past seven days, against an average of 120 a week ago.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said the state government was closely monitoring the situation, but added that there was no cause for panic.

“There is no need to panic right now because hospital admissions are still not rising,” Kejriwal said on the sidelines of a public function on Thursday.

Lieutenant governor Anil Baijal, chief minister Kejriwal, revenue minister Kailash Gahlot, health minister Satyendar Jain, besides Dr V K Paul of NITI Aayog, Prof Balram Bhargav of ICMR, Dr Sujit Kumar Singh, director of NCDC, Dr Randeep Guleria, director, AIIMS and other experts are likely to attend the DDMA meet.

Experts said the positivity rate rise can be attributed largely to focused testing, and should not be a cause for alarm. They have also attributed the uptick to all restrictions in the Capital, including the mask mandate, being set aside .

The Centre, however, has taken note of rise in the number of Covid-19 cases, with the Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan writing last week to Delhi and four other states -- Maharashtra, Kerala, Haryana and Mizoram -- which were contributing the most cases to India’s tally.

In his letter, Bhushan asked the four state governments to maintain a strict vigilance and underlined the need to continue monitoring the spike and adopt the necessary measures for prompt and effective management of the pandemic.

The mask mandate was junked on April 2 through an order issued by the health and family welfare department. However, DDMA stressed that it does not endorse people not wearing masks, officials said. It has directed authorities to carry out campaigns to promote mask-wearing .

Traders have appealed to the DDMA to make masks mandatory again so that strict restrictions don’t need to be imposed. Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) general secretary Praveen Khandelwal called the removal of the mask mandate a “hasty decision”.

“People had accepted masks as part of their life, and most were wearing it. DDMA’s move was taken in haste. Making masks mandatory is not harmful for any business or community. But curbs are,”said Khandelwal.

Epidemiologist and consultant with New Delhi Municipal Council, Dr PK Sharma said masks must be worn in crowded spots.

“I suggest that people continue wearing masks and if you have any ailment such as diabetes, blood pressure or anxiety, then you must definitely wear a mask in public places,” said Dr Sharma.

However, Sanjay Rai, professor of community medicine department at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said variations and mutations in the coronavirus are common and there is no need to rush into re-imposing the mask mandate. “Most in Delhi have antibodies against coronavirus through natural infection or vaccinations,” he said.

‘Govt alert, planning awareness drives’

Delhi government officials said they are on alert and are planning aggressive awareness drives to get people to strictly adhere to Covid appropriate behaviour, especially wearing masks in public places.

Senior officials of the Delhi government’s health department said they have directed all districts to ramp up awareness drives.

“We are on alert mode and we are stressing on Covid appropriate behaviour, including conducting awareness drives to promote the use of masks even though the fines for not wearing it in public places have been removed. There is no need to panic, the situation is currently in control,” said a senior health official.