Maharashtra and Delhi on Thursday said that wearing face masks in public was no longer necessary.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope announced that all Covid-19 restrictions in the state will be lifted from April 2, PTI reported.
“CM [chief minister] and the Cabinet decided that from April 2, [the] Epidemic Act and [the] Disaster Management Act will be withdrawn,” said Tope , according to India Today.
Meanwhile, in a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, it was decided that those not wearing masks at public places will not be penalised in the national Capital, PTI reported.
Until now, a fine of Rs 500 was imposed on people for not wearing masks at public places in Delhi.
The number of coronavirus cases in the country have gradually dipped in the last two months. On Thursday, Maharashtra reported 183 new cases of Covid-19 and one death due to the disease. There are 902 active cases in the state. Meanwhile, Delhi recorded 114 cases and no deaths.
On Wednesday, the Union Home Ministry had decided to end all Covid-19 containment measures from March 31. The ministry had said it has taken into consideration the overall improvement of the situation, including the continuous decline in cases.
However, the National Disaster Management Authority had said that people will have to wear face masks and maintain physical distancing,
On March 27, the government also resumed regular international passenger flights to and from India. All scheduled international flights had been suspended on March 23, 2020, ahead of a nationwide lockdown imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19.
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