The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday made it mandatory for people in the state to wear masks to check the spread of coronavirus.
“Wearing of masks has been made compulsory in the state. There can be legal action for not wearing masks,” additional chief secretary (home) Avnish Awasthi said according to media reports.
The number of people testing positive for coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh rose to 345 across 37 of the state’s 75 districts on Wednesday.
Uttar Pradesh became the second state on Wednesday to make wearing masks compulsory after Maharashtra where the number of infections has gone past 1000.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in a circular citied several studies that supported wearing masks can reduce the spread of coronavirus. The circular warned of arrest under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for failure to wear masks while moving in public places.
The circular specified that people must wear 3 ply mask or cloth mask.
Last month, the Centre declared masks and sanitisers as essential commodities till the end of June in its efforts to battle the spread of coronavirus and to contain the hoarding or overpricing of these items
The World Health Organisation (WHO) in an advisory last month had said a healthy person needs to wear a mask only if he or she taking care of a person with suspected to be infected by coronavirus. It had also said that masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent washing of hands or sanitising them with alcohol-based sanitiser.
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