India’s richest state Maharashtra to lift mask mandate from April 2

After a sharp drop in the number of active cases and deaths from COVID-19 in recent days, Maharashtra, India’s richest state and home to the country’s financial capital Mumbai, will make wearing masks optional starting April 2. Masks had previously been required in all public locations in the state to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

On Thursday, Maharashtra’s health minister Rajesh Tope stated, “Wearing masks (will) not be compulsory, but people can wear one if they want.” By April 2, all restrictions on public venues, such as hotels, weddings, gyms, and buses, as well as the requirement to be twice vaccinated to enter public places, would be eliminated, according to Tope.

So far, India has given out at least 1.84 billion doses of coronavirus vaccine. According to the Reuters COVID-19 tracker, assuming that each individual requires two doses, that would be enough to vaccinate 67.3 percent of the country’s population. Tope stated, “This will help people in celebrating upcoming festivals.”

Source: Reuters