Hyderabad: The Telangana State government has on Friday made it mandatory for people to wear masks when they are out of their house.
The health department issued a memo, updating its earlier advisory of ‘masks only for the sick’, which now states that ‘mask must be put on while stepping outdoors, in closed spaces and while interacting with others’.
The government said that its Mask On policy should be followed by all citizens whenever they step outside their home or are in closed spaces and while talking to others.
The advisory recommends home-made cotton, double-layer reusable masks for use as a first line of protection. The latest advisory is based on latest learnings from medical and scientific community and studies in Japan that have shown that Mask On policy has considerably slowed the spread of coronavirus.
All offices and workplaces have been asked to encourage use of masks by all employees at all the time. Even residents of rural areas should be encouraged to use masks while at work or in public places.
The advisory, however, said that homemade masks are not recommended for health workers or those working with or in contact with Covid- 19 patients, or patients themselves as these categories of people are required to wear specified protective gear.
