Mask mandate back in crowded places in Haryana

Chandigarh, April 3

In view of a surge in Covid cases, Health and Family Welfare Minister Anil Vij today said wearing of masks had been made mandatory in places with a gathering of more than 100 people across the state.

Besides this, all health workers are also required to wear masks now.

Vij was presiding over a meeting with senior officials of the Health Department regarding the arrangements to be made to control the Covid spread.

Instructing the officials, he said if patients suffering from cough and cold come to the hospital, then a Covid test should be made mandatory for them. He said instructions had been given to do the genome sequencing of the patients who had been tested for Covid and were positive.

Vij said at present, there were 724 active patients in Haryana, but none of them were hospitalised. He said as many as 25,404 tests had been done in the state in the past one week.

“The coverage of the first vaccination dose was 103 per cent while that of the second jab was 86 per cent,” he added.

Vij, however, admitted that there was a shortage of the precautionary (booster) dose.

The Health Minister further said if people follow social distancing, wash hands frequently, wear masks and take more fluids, Covid could be fought easily.

Vij urged the people to follow the Covid protocol.

Meanwhile, instructions have also been issued to all civil surgeons of the state to double the testing.