NEW DELHI, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Wearing face masks as protection and precaution against COVID-19 has been once again made mandatory in India's Delhi as the number of confirmed cases has been on the rise over the past few days.
A couple of weeks ago the state government authorities had announced that wearing a face mask in public was not compulsory, in the aftermath of the decline in the number of infections.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) held in the national capital under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.
"It was decided to make the wearing of masks mandatory in public places. It was also emphasized that in consultation with experts, standard operating procedures for prevention and management of COVID-19 should be laid down for schools and their strict enforcement by school management should be ensured," said Baijal.
A monetary fine would be imposed on those who violate the rule, said a DDMA official after the meeting. This was the 36th meeting of DDMA to review the COVID-19 situation in Delhi.
Meanwhile, to prevent a new wave of COVID-19, the federal health ministry has written to five states to continue monitoring the spread of infections and undertake the required steps for prompt and effective management of COVID-19.
According to federal Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, these were the few states whose infections accounted for a relatively high proportion of the country's total tally with a higher positivity rate. ■
