The number of coronavirus cases in India are increasing after several states relaxed Covid-19 curbs, including the mask mandate, in March. However, with authorities fearing a resurgence of the infection, both the center and state governments are raising their shields again.
The union government on Tuesday advised five states – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana and Mizoram, which are reporting a slight surge in Covid-19 cases – to monitor the spread and take prompt steps. The center also stressed on the need to maintain ‘an effective watch and pre-emptive action to contain any imminent surge’ in a letter to Kerala, which, it said, was not reporting state-level data regularly.
Covid-19 masks will once again be mandatory in Delhi. Those found without masks will be fined ₹500. Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have already issued orders districts part of the national capital region to make masks mandatory again. Schools in Delhi, meanwhile, will continue physical classes with adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour.
The national capital on Tuesday added 632 cases of Covid-19. No new deaths were reported. The positivity rate was 4.4 per cent and hospital beds remain largely empty.
The government’s decision on mix and match of the Covid-19 booster is expected to come in the next two weeks, sources familiar with the development said. “The sample testing has begun and in a week or so we should be able to generate relevant data,” vaccine experts in Vellore counting the study said.
