Masks made compulsory again in Kerala

It also announced that any violation would be punishable under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act and other relevant laws. Credit: PTI Photo

In view of fresh alerts over Covid, the Kerala government has decided to make masks compulsory again.

All Covid containment measures in the state were earlier withdrawn as the number of fresh cases came down, but advisories like wearing masks and following hand hygiene continued.

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Chief Secretary V P Joy issued an order on Wednesday stating that after analysing the present Covid situation, wearing masks in public places, offices and gatherings is made compulsory. Legal action will be taken against those violating the order.

The Covid test positivity rate (TPR) in Kerala that went below 2 per cent last week witnessed a slight increase. The TPR on Tuesday was 2.4 per cent.

Over the last two years, the Kerala government had collected nearly Rs 350 crore as fines from the public for not wearing masks and violating other Covid protocols.

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