Maharashtra brings back COVID-19 restrictions amid rising cases, makes masks mandatory

Maharashtra's government has mandated the use of face masks in all public venues except open ones in response to an increase in the number of instances of Covid cases. Deputy Chief Secretary Dr. Pradeep Vyas issued a series of directives, including one that mandated the wearing of face masks in public. “Mask in closed public spaces like trains, buses, cinemas, auditoriums, offices, hospitals, colleges, schools is a must,” he said.

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The number of samples being tested for coronavirus has decreased while the number of cases is increasing, therefore the Maharashtra health department requested district and municipal officials on Friday to increase coronavirus testing.

A letter from Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Pradeep Vyas to collectors, municipal corporations, and chief executive officers said that districts should guarantee that at least 60% of their tests were RT-PCR.

The number of cases in the state has increased dramatically in the previous week, reaching 1,081 on June 1 — the largest number since February 24.

Because the state reported BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants only last week, the ACS (Health) cautioned against complacency in the wake of this news.