New Delhi: With Delhi reporting record jumps in COVID-19 cases for three straight days now, Delhi's Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Friday emphasised the importance of wearing face masks, saying people should consider them as a "vaccine" against the virus till the time one is available.
"The spread of the virus can be stopped to a large extent if everyone wears a mask. Masks have more benefits than a lockdown," the minister said. Delhi has reported record jumps of over 5,600 COVID-19 cases for three days now.
"People should consider masks as a vaccine till there is one. The spread of the virus can be stopped to a large extent if everyone wears a mask," Jain said.
The Delhi government has cited its new strategy involving aggressive contact tracing and testing as one of the reasons behind the sudden surge in the number of infections in the city.
The Union Health Ministry and medical experts, however, have attributed the rise to social gatherings during festivities, deteriorating air quality, and increasing incidence of respiratory disorders.
The positivity rate in Delhi also jumped to 9.88 per cent on Friday as the infection tally mounted to above 3.81 lakh. The number of active cases in the city rose to 32,363 on Friday.