As COVID-19 Cases Surge, Delhi Disaster Management Authority Makes Masks Mandatory, Rs 500 Penalty For Violation

New Delhi: In view of spike in coronavirus cases in the city, the Delhi government on Wednesday (April 20) made wearing of mask mandatory in public places and imposed a fine of Rs. 500 on violators. Officials said the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), in its meeting, also decided not to shut schools, but chose to come up with a separate Standard Operating Procedure in consultation with experts. The government is expected to issue an official order regarding the mandatory use of masks soon. Sources said authorities have been asked to keep a close watch on social gatherings and ramp up testing in the national capital.

Also Read: Nearly 48 Per Cent Rise In Home Isolation Cases Of Covid In A Week In Delhi: Report

They said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is closely monitoring the situation and instructions have been issued to officials for taking steps to check the spread of the virus and preparations for treatment of Covid patients. In the DDMA meeting, emphasis was laid on vaccination of eligible groups as it will help keep in check the impact of the pandemic, officials said. Several participants asserted that there was no need to panic since the number of hospitalisations was low despite a rise in new Covid cases, they said. It was highlighted that the trends of hospitalisation needed to be closely monitored for the next fortnight as well as conducting genome sequencing of all positive samples put through RTPCR test.

Also Read: Is India On A Verge Of Fourth Wave? Top Scientist Dr Gagandeep Kang Says ‘Rise In India’s Cases Not A Sign Of A New Wave’

It was also decided to raise the number of tests being done with the focus on people with symptoms, they said. According to official figures, there are 9,735 beds for Covid patients in Delhi hospitals and just 80 (0.82 per cent) of them are occupied. On Tuesday, Delhi recorded a nearly 26 per cent jump in fresh COVID-19 cases. The health department said 632 fresh cases were reported on Tuesday and the positivity rate was 4.42 per cent. The city had on Monday recorded 501 cases and zero death while the positivity rate stood at 7.72 per cent. The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Delhi had touched the record high of 28,867 on January 13 this year during the third wave of the pandemic. The city had recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the third wave of the pandemic which was largely driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of coronavirus.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity,  that is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.