‘Only wear a mask if...’: Govt issues fresh Covid-19 guidelines

The coronavirus has been spreading rapidly across the globe and has affected 114 people in India.

The highly contagious coronavirus infection extended its imprint to 125 cases in India on Tuesday. The rapidly increasing numbers have prompted the Centre to widen critical restrictions by banning travel from the European Union, UK and Turkey.

People wear face mask to protect themselves against Covid-19 in Mumbai on Monday. (Ragul Krishnan/HT Photo)

The health ministry also issued a fresh set of guidelines on wearing the masks, one of the most sought after commodity at this time.

According to the guideline, everyone need not wear a mask.

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Only wear a mask if:

* You have symptoms (cough, fever or difficulty in breathing)

* You are caring for a Covid-19 suspect/confirmed patient

* You are a health worker attending to patients with respiratory symptoms

The ministry has also given the process on how to handle the masks.

While wearing a mask, make sure you:

* Unfold pleats of the mask; make sure that they are facing down

* Change the mask after six hours or as soon as it becomes wet

* Place the mask over your nose, mouth and chin and ensure there are no gaps on either side of the mask. Adjust to fit.

* Never reuse disposable masks and dispose the used masks into closed bins after disinfecting them

* Do not touch the potentially contaminated outer surface of the mask while removing it

* Do not leave the mask hanging from the neck

* After removal of mask, clean your hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand rub disinfectant

This comes days after the government declared faces masks and hand sanitisers as essential commodities till the end of June in its efforts to battle the spread of coronavirus and to contain the hoarding or overpricing of these items.

India reported 11 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, taking the total number of infected people to 125, up from 114 a day earlier. There are seven new cases in Maharashtra, two in Karnataka, one each in Kerala and Telangana. Four fresh cases – one each from Odisha, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Kerala – were confirmed on Monday. These include 13 people who have recovered and two who lost their lives.