No fourth wave? A bunch of health experts want India to now ditch mask mandates

By Sumit Blogs -

With Covid cases subsiding significantly in the country and most new infections being mild, some public health experts believe it’s time to make wearing mask optional in outdoor spaces. The central government should immediately remove the mask mandate for outdoor spaces for everyone and replace it with an advisory and voluntary adherence to mask requirement, said Chandrakant Lahariya, an epidemiologist and public policy specialist.

“The mask mandates for all children in 0-17 years should also be removed,” he told ET.

While fresh Covid-19 cases are low and assuring, a very low rate of hospitalisation is proof that a large proportion of the population has developed protection against the virus, Lahariya said.

Masks have disappeared rapidly in the last few weeks in several parts of the country as Covid-19 cases have receded.

SP Kalantri, medical superintendent at Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sewagram, Maharashtra, said people have developed mask fatigue and it would be extremely difficult to convince the public to adhere to the mask guidelines. “Given that the baseline risk has fallen so much, the protection conferred by continued use of masks might not be worth the trouble,” he said.

India reported only 1,549 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours on Monday, as per heath ministry data. The country reported a steep decline in Covid-19 deaths, too, at 31 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Gautam Menon, professor of physics and biology at Ashoka University, too, said it would be a good time to relax the requirement of mask-wearing in open spaces.

“I would encourage, but perhaps not necessarily continue to enforce, mask wearing in indoor locations,” he told ET. “In general, I would suggest constructing a public awareness campaign around the usefulness of masking in badly ventilated places, especially as a way of protecting others.”

Some experts like K Srinath Reddy, president of Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), advised caution.

“Masking is still advisable in crowded indoor and outdoor locations, especially where ventilation and airflow are poor,” Reddy said.

“In other locations, especially where ventilation and airflow are good and crowding is not present, masks are optional. Even there, persons with symptoms of upper respiratory infection must mask.”

Credits – Source – https://ift.tt/lLV9cpn

The post No fourth wave? A bunch of health experts want India to now ditch mask mandates appeared first on Stay in Gurgaon.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flat sale of flu drugs hints at no unusual rise in infections

By Sumit Blogs -
Image
By Economic Times – Flat sale of flu drugs hints at no unusual rise in infections Industry executives and chemists said the April sales data showed a month-on-month decline of 30-40%. But even though the lockdown is seen to be impacting sales of most drugs, the pattern for medicines for infections and flus is no different.Last Updated: Apr 30, 2020, 11.23 AM ISTAgenciesExperts said the decline in sales was primarily because of the lockdown and other restrictions which forced people to stay indoors. (This story originally appeared in on Apr 30, 2020)NEW DELHI: Sales of anti-infectives (antibiotics and antivirals), respiratory drugs, painkillers and analgesics — some key medicines used for influenza-like illnesses — have remained mostly unchanged in last three months (January to March), partly explained by the lockdown but also indicating no unusual rise in flu-type infections that might point to a wider and undetected spread of Covid-19. Sales of most medicines, including this set of
Read more

10YearsForSimha: Reasons behind film’s success

By Sumit Blogs -
Image
By Times of India – 10YearsForSimha: Reasons behind film’s success TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Last updated on – Apr 30, 2020, 06:00 ISTclose01/6Take a look at the reasons behind the film’s successDirected by Boyapati Srinu, the 2010 film Simha was a game-changer among Tollywood films that was lauded, not only for Nandamuri Balakrishna’s intense performance in the dual role but also the gripping narration of the filmmaker. Balayya and Nayanthara were seen on the big screen for the first time ever in the film. The action drama made a special place in the hearts of the audience because of its simple storytelling, superhit songs and unbeatable chemistry between the lead pair. The movie has completed a decade, but the essence is as fresh as it was back then. As the film clocks 10 years of its release, find out the reasons behind the massive success of the Balakrishna starrer.readmore02/6​Boyapati Srinu’s gripping narrationBefore Simha, Boyapati Srinu had delivered Bhadra (2005) and Tulasi (2007),
Read more

Hrithik-Saif’s Vikram Vedha hits a roadblock

By Sumit Blogs -
Image
The stage was about to be set for Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan’s ‘Vikram Vedha’ in Mumbai’s Film City. The material had reached. The artisans had been hired. But the lights have now been dimmed. Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi’s hit movie Vikram Vedha’s Hindi remake will not go on floors by mid-July as per the original plan. The new delta virus of COVID has sent shudders down many spines and many films which were being laid out on an expansive scale have been either held back or shifted their shoots abroad. The first schedule of this Hrithik-Saif movie will now be shot abroad. A source says, “The Mumbai schedule will be done but later.” Adds the source, “It’s a call that was taken yesterday. It wasn’t an easy call to take, no doubt, but the fact that it’s going to be a costly set made the makers take the safer route rather than be sorry later.” When contacted, General Secretary of FWICE (Federation of Western India Cine Employees), Ashok Dubey, confirmed that the makers of ‘V
Read more