The Union health ministry on Friday cautioned against the declining usage of masks among people and said that the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, though limited in a few pockets, is not yet over. With the resumption of activities, mask usage is declining, joint secretary of the Union health ministry Lav Agarwal said during the weekly press meet of the ministry.
In a graph, which projected the decline in mask usage, it was revealed that mask usage spiked during March-April and reached its peak in May, which witnessed the peak of the second wave, but now the trend has been on a steady decline in June and July. As projected, the usage of masks will decline further, against which the government warned.
"We have to guard against this decline projected in this analysis," Lav Agarwal said.
Earlier, the ministry cited four reasons why people avoid masks and said that people are refusing to wear masks complaining of breathing problems, discomfort, while many believe that masks do not help in the prevention of Covid-19 and also mask is not required if social distancing is maintained.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, the ministry cited four reasons why people avoid masks and said that people are refusing to wear masks complaining of breathing problems, discomfort, while many believe that masks do not help in the prevention of Covid-19 and also mask is not required if social distancing is maintained.
{{/usCountry}}Amid the growing apprehension of a third wave in India, which has already set its footprints in other countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday interacted with the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Maharashtra and Kerala, the states which are still reporting a high number of Covid-19 cases. "It's very important that states with a rising number of cases take proactive measures to rule out any possibility of a third wave," PM Modi said adding that a similar trend was witnessed in January and February before the second wave started.