Major Indian cities make mask-wearing compulsory amid coronavirus fears
09 April, 2020
Hundreds of millions of men and women in India, including in its two most significant cities, were ordered on Wednesday (Apr 8) to wear face masks or coverings amid a nationwide lockdown to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
Residents in the administrative centre New Delhi and financial hub Mumbai, that have a combined population of almost 40 million, as well as in the most-populous state Uttar Pradash where 200 million live, must cover their faces in public areas spaces.
"Wearing of facial masks can reduce the spread of coronavirus substantially," Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said late Wednesday.
"Therefore, it has been decided that facial masks will be compulsory for anybody stepping out of their residence."
A rickshaw puller wearing a nose and mouth mask watches persons standing in a queue in New Delhi, India. AFP/Money SHARMA
With masks running short all over the world, however, one official told AFP that "face cover is a more appropriate word".
"Gamcha (a kind of cotton cloth) or any cotton cloth that may cover your mouth can be used," the official, Mrityunjay Kumar, media adviser with UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, said.
Medical ministry on the weekend advised all residents in the country of 1 1.3 billion people to cover their noses and mouths with homemade reusable face covers.
It also released instructions online how people could make their own masks.
The new rules came as India's official number of instances rose above 5,200, including 149 deaths.
Experts said authorities need to test more to regulate how widely the highly infectious disease has spread in the world's second-most populous country.
The nationwide lockdown was imposed from Mar 25 for 21 days, with residents permitted to leave their homes limited to essential services such as for example buying groceries and medicine.
But the number of instances has continued to rise, with officials blaming a large religious gathering in March where thousands of folks congregated for at least 30 % of patients.
On Wednesday numerous neighbourhoods and hotspots in Uttar Pradash and Delhi were set to be sealed off, with locals barred from leaving their homes and authorities promising to deliver food and other essential what to their doorsteps.
The drastic move came amid growing debate about whether the lockdown because of be lifted on Apr 15 ought to be extended.
Some states and territories, including Maharashtra, where Mumbai may be the capital, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi have reported significantly higher numbers of infections compared to others.
The shutdown has badly hit rural migrant personnel in the cities, leaving them jobless with thousands trying to return to their villages, many by walking.
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