Delhi, Maharashtra discard face mask

New Delhi, March 31

Delhi and Maharashtra on Thursday dropped the mandatory face mask rule as the Covid-19 pandemic continued to shrink. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority chaired by Lt Governor Anil Baijal decided to drop the penalty for not wearing masks at public places in the Capital. Delhi currently has a Rs 500 fine for not wearing masks at public places. Officials, however, said the DDMA was likely to issue an advisory asking people to use masks in crowded areas.

Maharashtra announced that beginning April 2, wearing of masks would not be mandatory. The West Bengal Government said all curbs related to the contagion would stand withdrawn from midnight.

Meanwhile, with 1,225 new Covid cases in 24 hours, India’s Covid tally increased to 4,30,24,440 but active cases dropped to 14,307. Active cases now make up 0.03 per cent of all infections.