No masks in pvt cars, commuters breathe easy

“It was a big relief... The rule didn’t make much sense, I am glad it was done away with,” said Nikhil K, a graphic designer who travels Mayur Vihar to Saket daily for work.

Monday was the first day in nearly two years when it was no longer mandatory to wear masks while travelling together in the same vehicle, following an order issued by Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Saturday.

Wearing masks not mandatory in private cars in Delhi.

“It was a big relief... The rule didn’t make much sense, I am glad it was done away with,” said Nikhil K, a graphic designer who travels Mayur Vihar to Saket daily for work.

The Delhi government on February 26 issued directions, effective February 28, to withdraw a controversial law that made it mandatory for people travelling in cars to wear masks.

A senior Delhi government health official said the DDMA took the decision after noting the drop in Covid-19 infections and also the fact that most citizens have been vaccinated. On Monday, Delhi reported 258 Covid cases at a positivity rate of 0.71%.

On February 4, the DDMA had withdrawn another controversial order that required even lone drivers to wear masks while driving. The Delhi high court, on February 2, termed the rule “absurd” and asked the government why the rule has not been withdrawn yet.

To be sure, wearing a mask in public spaces (outside vehicles) is still mandatory and one can be fined ₹500 or even booked by the police if they refuse to comply.

Over the past two years, most citizens had questioned the need to wear masks in cars. They argued that if a family could live together without masks, then forcing them to wear masks while travelling in a car made no sense. In one infamous case reported in Delhi in 2020, a man and his wife had also fought with a police team in central Delhi, when they were stopped and fined for not wearing masks. The two were later arrested for misbehaving with the police.

Also on Friday, the government reduced the fines for not wearing masks to ₹500 from ₹2,000. In November 2020, when the national Capital witnessed the second wave of the infection, and people were spotted in public places without wearing a mask, the DDMA had increased the fine to ₹2,000.