Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Puducherry: The Pondicherry administration on Friday made mask wearing compulsory in the union territory with immediate effect owing to the rise in number of Covid-19 cases.
District Collector E Vallavan said with the union territory currently witnessing a surge in coronavirus positive cases, the territorial administration has enforced with immediate effect a slew of precautionary measures “to minimise the risk of increase in transmission of Covid-19 in the coming days.”
Vallavan, who is Member-Secretary of the Executive committee of the Disaster Management Authority here, told reporters “public shall compulsory wear masks in public places, on the beach road, parks and theatres.”
Puducherry’s COVID guidelines
- People will have to strictly adhere to COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) at places of public gathering
- Wearing masks in public places, including parks, theatres, and the Beach Road, is compulsory
- The staff members of hotels, bars, restaurants, liquor shops, and those from the hospitality and entertainment sector will all have to wear masks, and must have taken both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine
- Schools and colleegs have been instructed to have SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) in place and ensure 100% double vaccination, and also make it compulsory for students, teachers and other staff to wear masks
- All private business and commercial establishments can operate during their regular timings but will have to ensure 100% vaccination of all staff
- While all restaurants, hotels, bars, liquor shops, and hospitality and entertainment sector establishments can continue to operate, they will have to strictly follow COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and adhere to the prescribed SOPs issued by the government.
Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya will also chair a review meet with the health ministers of all states and Union Territories today. The country today saw another jump in Covid cases after it recorded 6,050 cases in the past 24 hours. With this, the country’s active Covid-19 caseload has gone up to active cases at 28,303, a jump of nearly 2716 cases in 24 hours.
According to the latest INSACOG bulletin, the newly emerged recombinant coronavirus variant XBB.1.16 has been observed in different parts of the country, accounting for 38.2 per cent of the infection till date.
On 6 April, the Sikkim government in its advisory had also asked people to wear face mask in public places.
India logged 6,050 COVID cases in the past 24 hours, the highest in 203 days while the active cases have risen to 28,303.
