Masks mandatory again in Gurugram, Faridabad as Covid-19 cases rise

On Monday, Haryana reported 234 total cases--198 of which were in Gurugram, 21 in Faridabad, seven in Sonipat, three in Ambala and one each in Karnal, Rohtak, Jind, Rewari and Fatehabad. The state has a Covid-19 positivity rate of 3.22%

As the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise in the National Capital Region, the Haryana government announced on Monday that wearing masks is mandatory again in the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar.

On April 2, Haryana withdrew the mandatory mask rule with immediate effect in the wake of a significant fall in Covid-19 cases. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

“In view of the increasing cases of Covid-19, face masks have been made mandatory in four districts of Haryana namely Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar. The ones who do not wear a face mask will have to pay a fine,” said state health minister Anil Vij in Chandigarh.

He also said special teams have been formed to keep track of areas and settlements from where cases are being reported in the Gurugram district.

Rajeev Arora, additional chief secretary for health, said that those found without a mask in public will have to pay a fine of ₹500 from Tuesday. “The state government has decided to make the wearing of masks mandatory once again in Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar. Till now, the maximum number of cases is being reported from Gurugram district, but as a precautionary measure, masks are being made mandatory in all four districts to prevent further increase,” said Arora.

On Monday, Haryana reported 234 total cases--198 of which were in Gurugram, 21 in Faridabad, seven in Sonipat, three in Ambala and one each in Karnal, Rohtak, Jind, Rewari and Fatehabad. The state has a Covid-19 positivity rate of 3.22%.

Gurugram on Monday reported a positivity rate of 5.97%. The district also reported 136 recoveries, taking the tally of active cases to 781. Of the total active cases, however, only five Covid-19 patients were in the hospital on Monday and the rest were isolating at home, according to the district health department.

Vij said that 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 of coronavirus 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,” said the health minister.

On April 2, Haryana withdrew the mandatory mask rule with immediate effect in the wake of a significant fall in Covid-19 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”. Earlier, the government used to impose a penalty of ₹500 on violators.

Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer, said, “Most of the cases being reported in the district are from people within the same family and those who have a travel history, both domestic and international. We are carrying out contact tracing of all immediate contacts of positive cases. Daily testing numbers have also been increased in the district. Testing is also being done at crowded places on a regular basis to stop the spread of the virus.”