Haryana Govt Makes Masks Mandatory In 4 Districts Near NCR Amid Covid-19 Surge

Vij also added that a team led by Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rajeev Arora has been asked to analyse and submit a report on why cases are increasing in Gurugram. 

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New Delhi: The Haryana government on Monday made wearing masks mandatory in Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, and Jhajjar districts in the National Capital Region (NCR), reported news agency PTI.

The decision came in the light of a sudden spike in covid-19 cases in some regions of the country including Delhi. 

Haryana health minister Anil Vij said on Monday that the decision was taken due to the rise in covid cases in the past few days in Gurugram. Hence masks have been made mandatory there along with three more districts. 

Of 234 cases reported in Haryana on Monday, 198 surfaced in Gurugram alone while 21 were from Faridabad, he said.

Haryana govt makes wearing of face mask compulsory in Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar districts in National Capital Region

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 18, 2022

“But in more than half of the districts, cases are nil or very less,” he told reporters.

Vij also added that a team led by Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rajeev Arora has been asked to analyse and submit a report on why cases are increasing in Gurugram. 

Though the report is yet to be submitted, “as a precautionary measure in the districts which lie close to the national capital, we have made the wearing of a mask compulsory," he said.

He further said that those not wearing a mask will be fined. 

Responding to a question on his government’s preparedness for covid-19, he said, “We are ready, our staff is ready, we have adequate beds, equipment, oxygen.”

Meanwhile, the Haryana government is not the only one to take the decision. Earlier this day, the Uttar Pradesh government also made wearing masks mandatory in six districts including the NCR. 

The increase in Covid cases has had an impact on the districts falling under the NCR. Keeping this in mind, the government has made the use of masks mandatory in public places in Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Meerut, Bulandshahr, Baghpat as well as capital Lucknow, an official spokesperson for the UP government told PTI.