People should wear masks to avoid another Covid-19 wave: TN minister

Notwithstanding several states declaring that wearing a mask is not mandatory after the lifting of Covid-19 regulations by the Centre, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Monday (April 4) appealed to the people of the state to continue following the Covid appropriate behaviour to avoid another wave of infections.

The minister’s statement comes as the daily Covid-19 cases in the state have gone below 30 and zero deaths. The state capital, Chennai, is also reporting less than 10 cases for the past couple of days, in what is seen as an indication that the third wave of infections that began in December last year in the state has ebbed.

“Many states have said the wearing of a mask isn’t mandatory. We are aware of that. But given that many countries are reporting an increasing number of Covid-19 cases, we need to be on the guard. We can’t afford to lose guard now and suffer later. It is better to keep your masks on for another two months,” Subramanian said.

He was asked whether Tamil Nadu will continue to keep wearing masks mandatory or will the rule be withdrawn. The minister’s comments came a day after the state government withdrew an order that made vaccination mandatory in public places.

Subramanian said following Covid-appropriate behaviour for another couple of months will be in the interests of everyone. “We should continue to wear masks as it will help us avoid further waves,” the minister said.

Tamil Nadu, which was one of the worst-affected states in the first two Covid waves in 2020 and 2021, has so far tested 6.56 crore samples of which 34.52 lakh tested positive for the novel Coronavirus. In all, 38,025 persons lost their lives due to the virus, though the state has been posting nil deaths for some time now.

The comments come a week after Principal Secretary (Health) J Radhakrishnan wrote to district collectors, Commissioner of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), and health authorities asking them to review a minor spike in the daily numbers and take up control measures to avoid “any opportunity for the cases to rise again.”

The letter came in the wake of the Omicron variant leading to a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in some countries. Though the cases have come down, Radhakrishnan had said, the authorities concerned should not lower their guard in prevention and containment measures.