Kerala makes masks mandatory in public places, violators to be punished

CM Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government, on Wednesday, made it mandatory to wear masks in public spaces. In its latest COVID-19-related order, the Kerala government said that violation of the mask rule shall be punishable. In the last 24 hours, India recorded 2,927 fresh infections in a day which pushed the case tally to 4,30,65,496 while the active caseload increased to 16,279, according to Union Health Ministry data.

The decision of the Kerala government comes against the backdrop of the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases across the country. Kerala Health Minister Veena George had earlier said that the COVID-19 threat was not an immediate concern in the state, but had assured that the state government would remain vigilant as the other states were reporting an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. Other states such as Delhi, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka have brought back the mask rule in light of the rise in COVID-19 cases across the country.