In line with the Government of India's policy of a graded approach of the COVID-19 management response, the Ministry of Civil Aviation's on Wednesday said that the wearing of masks would no longer be mandatory in the flights and will be only advisable now.

The Delhi Government announced on Thursday that no penalty will be levied on people for not wearing face masks in public places in the national capital. New Delhi:  The Delhi Government announced on Thursday that no penalty will be levied on people for not wearing face masks in public places... The post appeared first on .

New Delhi [India], September 16 (ANI): Seven persons were rescued after a building collapsed in the Gokalpuri area in Delhi on Friday, the police said.

New Delhi [India], April 22 (ANI): In view of rising cases of COVID-19, the Delhi government has issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) which have mandated the teachers to ask the students about COVID-19 related symptoms daily.

New Delhi [India], April 22 (ANI): Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital, the Delhi government on Friday announced the re-imposition of a fine of Rs 500 on those found not wearing masks in public places with immediate effect.

New Delhi Apr 19 PTI Amid a rise in Covid cases in the city the Delhi Disaster Management Authority DDMA will meet on Wednesday to discuss the prevailing situation and is likely take a call on reimposing fine for not wearing face masks at public places official sources saidThe meeting which will be chaired by the Delhi Lt Governor at 1230 pm is also expected to hold discussions on hybrid mode of education-- online and offline classes -- for schools they saidAccording to the health bulletin of the Delhi government on Tuesday 632 fresh cases were reported in the last 24 hours The number of hospitalisations however are very low and deaths due to Covid are negligibleThe Delhi government had lifted the fine of Rs 500 on not wearing face masks at public places through an order on April 2 However with a rise in number of cases experts have suggested that wearing of face masks be strictly enforced to prevent spread of the virusImposition of fine for strict enforcement of face mask use is highly likely as neighbouring towns including Noida Ghaziabad and Gurgaon have done so in view of rising cases said a senior government officerExperts and other members of the DDMA are also expected to discuss the option of hybrid mode of teaching in schools as many children have been found Covid positive he saidSchools across Delhi-NCR have sprung into action following a spike in Covid cases and are taking various measures including frequent sanitisation to restrict the spread of the virus to a minimum and thus avoid closure of campusesThe Delhi government has told school authorities to close specific wings or classrooms wherever any student or teacher is found infectedDelhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said on Monday that the Covid situation was not alarming in Delhi although cases were rising The number of hospitalisations were low and the government was keeping watch on the situation he had said PTI VIT ANB ANB

New Delhi [India], April 15 (ANI): In view of the increasing COVID-19 cases in Delhi, the Arvind Kejriwal Government has geared up to deal with the situation and has asked all hospitals to be on alert.

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], April 1 (ANI): With Maharashtra scrapping COVID-19 restrictions and easing the norm on compulsory wearing of masks in public places, a health expert has emphasised caution noting that masks play a significant role in curtailing transmission of the disease.

Mumbai Mar 31 PTI The Maharashtra governments decision to lift all coronavirus-related restrictions including the mask mandate from April 2 was supported by experts on Thursday but with a caveat that vulnerable groups must continue to take precaution State health minister Rajesh Tope earlier in the day announced that all restrictions will be lifted from Saturday and wearing mask will not be compulsory Dr Anurag Agrawal Director of the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology Delhi said there was no point in wearing masks outdoors now when the infection rate is low It is a good time to do away with masks Dr Agrawal told PTI He however added that wearing masks indoors should still be practiced especially by the vulnerable population The Delhi Disaster Management Authority DDMA has also announced that there will be no fine for not wearing masks in public places in the national capital Dr Raman Gangakhedekar former head scientist of the Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases Division at the Indian Council of Medical Research said I will not say that this is an improper decision to make masks voluntary Dr Gangakhedekar who was the face of the ICMR when the first wave of coronavirus hit the country in 2020 said currently the rate of infection is very low and the decision has been taken in that context He too stressed that masks are still necessary for people whose immunity is low This group comprises senior citizens people with comorbidities and those who have not taken both the doses of coronavirus vaccine he said Dr Dileep Mavlankar Director of the Ahemdabad-based Public Health Foundation of India said the time is right to withdraw the mask mandate as infection rate is low and people have developed immunity due to infections and vaccination But people with symptoms must continue to wear masks he cautioned Dr Trupti Gilada Infectious Diseases Specialist Masina Hospital said the vaccination status of Maharashtra is high with over 90 per cent of the population having COVID-19 antibodies either due to previous infection or immunisation There have been no repercussions in the form of rising cases over the last few weeks despite festivities opening up of all public spaces weddings and elections We will continue to see a few cases here and there most of which will be mild Gilada said This is exactly what it means for a disease to become endemic like other diseases like influenza she said It was just about time to return to normalcy and removing compulsory masking is the last leg in that direction a step that has been well calculated and deliberated upon she said But Dr Harish Chafle Senior Consultant - Pulmonology and Critical Care at Global Hospitals in Parel Mumbai had a different take Mumbai was and will be the hotspot of COVID-19 simply because it hosts a large number of people from different cities and countries he said Despite the fact that wearing a mask was always mandatory not many followed the regulation strictly This was the situation when rules were absolutely compulsory he pointed out Now imagine what would happen if the government decides to completely lift the rules There will be chaos among people he said With overcrowded local trains and other modes of transportation going mask-free in Mumbai so soon will be a bad decision especially when we havent achieved 100 per cent vaccination he saidAs many as 1225 new coronavirus cases were reported in the country during the day The active case tally in the country dipped to 14307 The countrys daily positivity rate stood at 020 per cent PTI PR KRK KRK

New Delhi Mar 31 PTI The Delhi Police on Thursday informed the Delhi High Court that it will give permission for the reopening of Nizamuddin Markaz to enable devotees to offer prayers during Ramzan after it remained shut since March 2020 when a Tablighi Jamaat congregation was held amid the COVID-19 pandemicThe Delhi Police lawyer said this before Justice Jasmeet Singh who will hear on April 1 the application by Delhi Waqf Board seeking to open the mosque during Shab-e-Barat and RamzanThe application was filed in the Boards 2021 petition which sought the reopening of the premises on the ground that even after unlock-1 guidelines permitted religious places outside containment zones to be opened the Markaz -- comprising the Masjid Bangle Wali Madarsa Kashif-ul-Uloom and attached hostel -- continues to be locked upOn March 16 the high court had allowed the reopening of three floors of Nizamuddin Markaz for Shab-e-Barat subject to various conditionsThe high court had earlier asked the petitioner represented through advocate Waqeeh Shafiq to file an application before the SHO of Hazrat Nizamuddin Police Station seeking permission to open the other three floors of Nizamuddin Markaz to enable devotees to offer prayers during the two occasionsIn a letter addressed to the petitioner the Delhi Police said that opening of the mosque would be permitted on the same terms and conditions which were laid down by the high court while permitting offering of prayers there for the occasion of Shab-e-BaratIn the communication the police also asked the Board to re-install missing CCTV cameras at the entrance of the premises and put up a notice board specifying the conditions for the entrance of foreign devoteesIt had removed the restriction of 100-person limit on one floor and said it has been agreed that the management of the mosque will ensure that COVID-19 protocols and social distancing will be followed while allowing devotees to enter the mosque to offer namazThe senior lawyers for the petitioner and the managing committee of the mosque had then highlighted that Delhi Police remained silent on the arrangement to made during Ramzan The Delhi Police lawyer had stated that the modalities for Ramzan would be worked out after Shab-e-baratThe central government in its affidavit opposed full re-opening of the Nizamuddin Markaz and stated that only a few people may be allowed to offer prayers on certain religious occasionsThe counsel for the Delhi Waqf Board argued that the mosque which is under the lock of Delhi Police should be opened as the Delhi Disaster Management Authority DDMA has now lifted all restrictions that were imposed on account of the pandemicSeveral FIRs were registered under the Epidemic Diseases Act the Disaster Management Act the Foreigners Act and various provisions of the penal code in connection with the Tablighi Jamaat event held at the Nizamuddin Markaz and the subsequent stay of foreigners there during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 PTI ADS ZMN