Covid-19 India Update: Here’s a list of states that have made masks mandatory as covid cases continue to rise

The number of COVID-19 cases in India keeps rising; the following states now necessitate masks.

Over 17,000 new COVID-19 cases are reported in India every day, bringing the total number of cases to 29.

The number of coronavirus infections in India increased by 17,092 to reach 4,34,86,326, while the number of active cases increased to 1,09,568, according to data released on Saturday by the Union Health Ministry. According to information provided by the ministry at 8 am, 29 more fatalities have raised the overall number of fatalities to 5,25,168.

Infections are only present in 0.25 percent of cases. The national COVID-19 recovery rate was 98.54 percent, per the health ministry.

The number of active COVID-19 cases has increased by 2,379 occurrences over the past 24 hours. The weekly positivity rate was 3.56 percent, and the daily positivity rate was 4.14 percent, according to the ministry.

A notable increase of 4,28,51,590 people has recovered from the sickness, and the rate of case fatalities was 1.21%. The ministry reports that the country has already received 197.84 crore doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the widespread immunization campaign.

The COVID-19 total for India reached 20 lakh on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5, and 50 lakh on September 16. On September 28, it exceeded the 60 lakh mark. On October 11, the 70 lakh mark was reached. On October 29, the 80 lakh mark was reached. On November 20 and December 19, 2020, the one-crore mark was reached.

On May 4, 2021, three months later, on June 23, and on January 25, this year, the nation passed the sombre milestone of two crore cases. The study indicated that out of the 29 new fatalities, 15 occurred in Kerala, four in Maharashtra, three in Delhi, two in Punjab, and one in Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, and one in Rajasthan.

Due to the increase in COVID-19 infections, certain Indian states have strengthened their coronavirus defenses and made mask use mandatory. The states that require masks in public places are listed below.

Every week, the number of COVID-19 cases in India has increased. The nation passed the 4,000 mark on June 3, the 7,000 mark on June 9, the 8,000 mark on June 11, the 12,000 mark on June 16, the 13,000 mark on June 18, and the 17,000 mark on June 24 in accordance with the pattern this month. Following an increase in instances, numerous governments have tightened their anti-virus measures and made masks a must.

The list of states that require masks in public places is as follows:

As the coronavirus cases are increasing, the government of several states made it mandatory for people to wear masks, have a look at these states in India:

Leh: 

On June 30, the people in the Ladakh district of Leh were required to wear face masks. The violation will be fined Rs. 500, according to the district magistrate. Since the pandemic’s start, Ladakh has documented 228 fatalities that have been related to it. 

Leh has the highest number of fatalities—168—of the total, followed by Kargil with 60. In response to an increase in Covid cases, the Ladakh administration on Friday declared a 15-day summer break for all public and private schools in the Leh region beginning on July 4.

Kerala: 

On Tuesday, the Kerala Police issued a directive to all of its district police chiefs directing them to oversee the execution of a state government directive requiring the wearing of masks in public and workplaces, meetings, and when using transportation. The fine for not putting on a mask was also removed, but the recommendation for mask use and good hand hygiene persisted.

Jharkhand: 

Around June 20, the Jharkhand government released new regulations that make the use of face masks in enclosed spaces, at work, and when using public transportation mandatory. In public spaces and at work, people must maintain an adequate social distance. Aside from this, the regulation mandates that workplaces have provisions for hand washing or sanitizer.

Tamil Nadu: 

 According to sources, the department of health and family welfare had already ordered action against people who were not wearing masks and who were not adhering to all COVID-19 safety precautions. People who don’t use masks will be subject to penalties. This comes after an increase in new Covid cases over the past few days in the State. 1,472 new cases were reported on Sunday, including 624 in Chennai and 241 in Chengalpattu.

Karnataka: 

The health commissioner issued an order in the second week of June requiring mask use in all public areas, including malls, schools, buses, and private automobiles. The government removed the fine for not wearing a mask, but the requirement for mask use and good hand hygiene remained.

Maharashtra: 

In light of the mounting incidences, the Maharashtra government has been considering the prospect of making face masks once more required in Mumbai suburban trains. A health official announced Monday that the Thane district in Maharashtra has recorded 546 new coronavirus-positive cases, bringing the total number of infections there to 7,28,511. 

According to him, the district currently has 5,110 active cases after the addition of these cases on Friday. The number of fatalities rose to 11,907 as a result of one infection-related death throughout the day, while the official reported an increase in recovered patients to 7,10,948.

Kerala has the most COVID-19 cases that are currently active as of June 29. Kerala has 28,086 active cases as of Wednesday, followed by Maharashtra with 25,481 instances, Tamil Nadu with 8970 cases, and Karnataka with 4918 cases.

Odisha: 

The state of Odisha reported 231 new cases on Friday, the highest number in four months and 27 more than the previous day, bringing the total to 12,90,192, according to the health department. The number of COVID-19 instances that are currently active has surpassed 1,000 for the first time since March 11, with 1,035 cases. 

The BMC had previously issued a similar warning on June 30, mandating masks for all visitors to Bhubaneswar. According to the CMC directive, all residents of the CMC region, as well as visitors and residents from outside the CMC area, must adequately wear face masks while leaving their homes and while in public locations.

The Center recommended states and Union territories to rigorously monitor the epidemiological profile of admitted coronavirus-infected patients that have been admitted and report the clinical manifestations to the Health Ministry, rather than random or anecdotal reporting, in the face of the mounting cases. 

States were also urged to hasten vaccination coverage, particularly for the over-60 population and for the second dose among the 12–17 age range.

Edited by Prakriti Arora