Maharashtra lifts all Covid-19 curbs; masks not mandatory anymore

New Delhi, Mar 31: The Maharashtra government on Thursday announced that all the restrictions related to COVID-19 are being lifted in the state from April 2 which will coincide with the 'Gudi Padwa' festival, the Marathi New Year.

"From Gudhi Padwa, all COVID-19 related restrictions under the Epidemic Diseases Act and Disaster Management Act will be withdrawn," Health Minister Rajesh Tope said, adding that wearing masks would be voluntary.

In a separate statement, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray advised people to maintain social distancing, wear mask and take anti-coronavirus vaccines.

The state health minister said that the US, UK and many countries in Europe have lifted restrictions related to mandatory masks.

On asking whether the state was taking a risk by lifting the mask mandate, he said, "The chief minister and others (cabinet colleagues) have consulted the State Task Force on COVID-19 and the health department before taking this decision."

However, a day ago, Tope said that looking at the rise in coronavirus cases in many countries it would not be right to take the risk of doing away with the mask mandate in Maharashtra. The state government has already eased restrictions on movement and gathering as new cases started declining after the third wave, driven by the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV2, abated by the end of January.

With the lifting of norms, Gudhi Padwa processions can take place without any restrictions this year, Tope said.

After Maharashtra, West Bengal too announced the withdrawal of COVID-19 related restrictions on Thursday. PTI