Maharashtra: Masks not compulsory yet, says Health Minister Rajesh Tope

The health secretary has asked for ramped-up testing as well

Health minister Rajesh Tope has denied reports of the government making mask use mandatory. He said the advisory issued by the state health secretary has been misinterpreted, and it is nothing but a suggestion that the district and municipal heads make an appeal to the people in the wake of a sudden surge in the Covid-19 cases.

"A word ‘must' used in the secretary's letter in regards to wearing masks in closed places doesn't mean a compulsion or penal action. It should be taken as an appeal and the media should also convey the same to the people," Tope told mediapersons on Saturday.

The active cases in Mumbai, its metropolitan areas (Palghar, Thane and Raigad districts), Pune, Ratnagiri and Nagpur have higher test positivity rate. On Friday, Mumbai had the highest TPR of 5.77 per cent. Tope said these areas need to be more proactive.

Tope added that the state health (additional chief) secretary Dr Pradeep Vyas wrote a letter to the collectors and municipal commissioners on Friday after CM Uddhav Thackeray's meeting with the State Covid-19 Task Force. During the meeting, it was decided that people will be requested to follow Covid appropriate behaviour, including using masks in the closed places.

"The Centre had asked us to be alert and take appropriate action after the surge. In response to the Centre's communication and the CM/task force's suggestion, the secretary sent out a three-page advisory," the minister added. However, Tope said that the situation in the next fortnight will decide the state's next action. "We will decide whether masks need to be made mandatory again. Till then, people should wear masks in closed places like trains, schools, colleges, hospitals and offices. Some leniency is expected in open places," he said.

In addition to wearing masks which is part of "risk communication", the health secretary has asked administration to ramp up testing, analyse daily cases and send appropriate number of test samples for genome sequencing.