Delhi Covid Rules: Masks Not Compulsory For Those Driving Alone In Cars

Drivers travelling alone in cars will be exempted from wearing masks, the Delhi government announced on Friday while relaxing Covid restrictions in view of the dip in cases.

(Representative Image/Getty)

Delhi Covid Relaxations: Do you drive in Delhi? If yes, you must have been using face masks even while driving along on the roads of the capital city.

The recent set of relaxation in Covid rules in the national capital announced by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) brings massive relief for Delhi travellers.

Now, drivers travelling alone in cars will be exempted from wearing masks, the Delhi government announced on Friday while relaxing Covid restrictions in view of the dip in cases.

Wearing mask in car with single person shall not be mandatory now in Delhi.

— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) February 4, 2022

The decision to exempt drivers travelling along from wearing a mask comes days after High Court termed the rule as absurd and asked why the decision was still prevailing.

You are sitting in your own car and you must wear the mask? the HC bench asked.

Wearing masks while driving a vehicle in Delhi was made compulsory by AAP-led government through an official order issued in April 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic had just begun. 

The decision to withdraw the rule was taken by the national capital’s disaster management authority during a meeting to review Covid curbs.

Apart from this, the DDMA on Friday also extended several other relaxations including reopening schools in a phased manner, gyms and more.

Schools in the national capital will reopen for classes 9-12 from February 7 and for nursery to 8 from February 14. The classes will continue to be in a hybrid mode. The DDMA also allowed restaurants to remain open till 11 pm.

According to the announcement, gyms, spas and swimming pools will be permitted to open and the DDMA also gave its nod to organising B2B exhibitions.

The daily caseload in Delhi has witnessed a decline after the record high of 28,867 on January 13. 

The city had recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the ongoing wave of the pandemic. It took just 10 days for daily cases to drop below the 10,000 mark.