Advisable to keep wearing masks, say Covid task force experts

Dr Salunkhe said vaccination and use of masks were protective measures. ”Personally, I would not go to a cinema hall or a mall without wearing a mask, and I would encourage senior citizens above 60 to use a mask whenever they are going to a crowded place,” he said.

Members of the state Covid task force have also said that while wearing a mask was no longer mandatory, it was advisable to do so. “Wearing a mask is desired and advisable,” said Dr Sanjay Oak, chairman of the state Covid task force. Dr Pradeep Vyas, state additional chief secretary (health), told The Indian Express that wearing a mask has a lot of advantages and it would be pertinent to continue doing so. “I would advise you to continue to wear a mask as it has a lot of advantages,” he said.

At a meeting on Thursday presided by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the Maharashtra cabinet decided to make wearing masks voluntary.

A report submitted by the state Health Department during the meeting stated that the weekly positivity rate of Covid-19 in the state was 0.42 per cent.

The districts of Pune, Palghar, Dhule, Buldhana, Kolhapur, Beed, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Satara and Sindhudurg still have weekly positivity rates which are slightly more than the state average. From March 24 to 30, there were a total of 1,024 new Covid-19 cases in the state, slightly higher than the 1,014 cases recorded from March 17 to 23.

In Mumbai, the number of Covid infections recorded from March 18 to 23 was 276, which rose slightly to 292 in the week of March 24 to 30. Pune recorded 233 new Covid-19 cases from March 17 to 23, which came down to 215 in the week from March 24 to 30.

Dr Sanjay Pujari, member of the ICMR’s national Covid-19 task force, said one of the reasons behind the explosive rise in the BA.2 variant in Europe was the leniency in social distancing measures.

“Doing away with masks in open spaces is alright but it would be prudent to wear masks in closed spaces where there is improper air circulation or ventilation,” said Dr Pujari.