NEW DELHI, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- India's southern state of Kerala has once again made wearing masks mandatory in public places, workplaces and social gatherings, officials said on Tuesday.
"The health department issued the order under the Epidemic Diseases Act for a period of one month underlining the wearing of masks in public places will come into force with immediate effect," an official said.
"The government order also said that the use of sanitizers has also been made compulsory in all shops, offices, theaters, and other places where people gather. It has also directed to ensure social distancing in all public places."
According to the state-run All India Radio, the local government has not given any reason behind its decision to make wearing masks compulsory. However, it is believed that the rising cases of new COVID-19 variants elsewhere in the world and increasing influenza across the state might have prompted the government to resort to such a step.
The Indian health ministry said on Tuesday that 89 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the last 24 hours.
The overall death toll since the beginning of the pandemic remains at 530,726. So far, 44,148,472 people have been successfully cured and discharged from hospitals, the ministry said. ■
