As concerns about a possible surge in COVID-19 cases rise across the country, the State government has once again issued orders that wearing of face masks will now be mandatory in all public places, gatherings, and workplaces .
It follows other State governments, including Delhi, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, all of which brought back the mask mandate last week
A new GO issued by the Chief Secretary specifies that the violation of the mask mandate will be punishable under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act and other relevant laws in force.
Kerala’s COVID-19 case graph had been at a consistent low of around 300 new cases daily for over a week and the active cases had fallen below the 3,000 mark, when on April 7, the government issued orders rescinding all COVID-related restrictions on civil life. However, the government had insisted that all COVID protocols will remain in place, including masking, use of sanitisers, and physical distancing.
Mask norms were never lifted in the State but even though a majority of the State’s population continued to wear mask, the compliance was much relaxed as the authorities had done away with charging a case or imposing fines.
With many new subtypes of the Omicron virus variant emerging in the community, many States have begun to show an uptick in COVID cases. Delhi, which lifted all COVID restrictions, including the mask mandate on April 2, has had to bring back mandatory wearing of masks in public places within three week .
Public health experts had warned that lifting of all restrictions all at once and the possible circulation of new Omicron subvariants could lead to a rise in cases in Kerala too in the coming weeks.
In fact, even when the disease transmission has been at a steady low for weeks, Kerala’s case graph too has been showing a slight increase since April 19. A review meeting convened by the Health Minister on Monday stressed on the need to maintain vigil and strengthen disease surveillance as cases were rising in many States.
Some ambiguity
The order issued on Wednesday states that the wearing of masks “in all public places … and during transport will be compulsory”.
It does not specify whether “during transport” means while travelling in public transport.
Whether families travelling together on a private car or individuals driving cars alone are also expected to wear masks compulsorily, is something that needs clarification or else it could lead to unnecessary squabbles between law enforcers and citizens on the street . The order issued by the Delhi Government excludes families travelling together on a private car and individuals driving cars on their own from the mask rule.
Health experts have called for the “intelligent” use of masks by people to protect themselves, because COVID reinfections have been common. While a person driving alone might not need to wear a mask, it will be unsafe for anyone to step into markets, shops or any gatherings without masks, they say.
