NEW DELHI: The Union Health Ministry on Thursday clarified that there is no central advisory to suggest that those riding a car alone should wear masks and any violation could attract a penalty.
In response to a question in the weekly press briefing on Covid management, health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that while people exercising in a group should wear masks and maintain social distancing rules, the same does not apply for those inside vehicles alone.
“There is no such directive from the health ministry on wearing a mask when a person is in a car alone; if you are exercising in a group you need a mask but there is no directive to wear one if you are cycling alone,” said Bhushan.
The clarification by the senior official assumes importance as there have been numerous instances of cops issuing challans or asking for fines, mainly in Delhi-NCR, from people who are not wearing masks, when in the car alone.
On several occasions, cops have been reported showing newspaper clippings to commuters while justifying their action but have no copy of any official order to show that the fines were being collected as per any government directive.