Masks Not Needed For Those Driving Alone In Cars In Delhi

Those driving alone in their cars in Delhi will no longer need to wear a mask, the national capital's disaster management authority decided today during a meeting to review Covid curbs.

The move comes days after the Delhi High Court termed the directive "absurd" and asked why it was still in force.

The court's observation had come when a counsel representing the Delhi government shared an incident of a man being fined for not wearing a mask while sitting in his car along with his mother and sipping coffee with windows up.

"It is a Delhi government order, why don't you withdraw it? It is absurd actually. You are sitting in your own car and you must wear the mask?" the bench said.

During the hearing, senior advocate Rahul Mehra, representing the Delhi government, said the high court's single judge order of April 7, 2021, which had refused to interfere with the Delhi government's decision to impose challans for not wearing a mask while driving a private car alone, was "very unfortunate".

"Somebody sitting in the car with rolled-up windows and being challan-ed for Rs 2,000. That single judge order is very unfortunate," he said.

The counsel had said that when the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) passed the order, the pandemic situation was different.

When the bench reminded him that the initial order was passed by the Delhi government which was then challenged before the single judge, Mr Mehra said be it the order of the Delhi government or central government, it is a bad order and needs to be revisited.

When he said the division bench should set aside the order, Justice Sanghi said it can only consider the issue when the order will be brought before it.

"If that order is bad why don't you withdraw it," the bench had asked.

The Delhi High Court Tuesday termed as "absurd" a Delhi government order making it compulsory to wear a mask while driving alone in the context of COVID-19 and asked why the decision was still prevailing.

"It is a Delhi government order, why don't you withdraw it. It is absurd actually. You are sitting in your own car and you must wear the mask?" the bench said.