Delhi Schools Won't Shut, Masks To Be A Must As Covid Cases Rise

In view of rising Covid cases in the national capital, wearing masks in public places has been made mandatory in Delhi, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal announced today. In a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) chaired by the Governor,  it was decided to enhance testing, focus on vaccination coverage of the targeted population and ensure strict enforcement of COVID appropriate behaviour.

The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Chief Secretary, AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Dr SK Singh and other senior officers.

It was decided in the meeting that in consultation with experts, standard operating procedures for prevention and management of Covid should be laid down for schools and their strict enforcement by school management should be ensured.

Delhi residents may also be fined for not wearing masks in public as authorities have been planning to bring back the penalty amid a rise in Covid cases in and around the national capital, sources said.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) which is overseeing the city's fight against the pandemic. A fine of Rs 500 may be imposed for not wearing masks, sources said.

Schools would remain open for now and guidelines to prevent the spread of infection on campuses would be issued after discussion with experts.

Covid cases in the national capital have been on the rise over the past few days. According to the bulletin issued yesterday, the daily case count rose by 26 per cent to 632 as compared to the previous day.

The positivity rate, however, fell from 7.72 per cent on Monday to 4.42 per cent yesterday.

Doctors have said Covid cases are expected to surge in the coming days.

The order by Delhi authorities came days after the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh made it compulsory for people to wear masks in public places in the capital Lucknow and six NCR districts amid a rise in cases.

About three weeks ago, amid a slide in case, the DDMA had issued an order removing the Rs 500 fine for not wearing masks in public. The DDMA, however, did not say masks are no longer mandatory and advised people to continue using them in crowded places.