Amid Omicron Threat! only 2 per cent wear masks: Survey

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• Dec 5, 2021 | Deleted

New Delhi: Despite the rise of the new covid variant Omicron, the usage of the mask remains its lowest in India, according to the latest survey.

The latest survey conducted by digital community-based platform Local Circles stated that one in three Indians is not even carrying a mask while stepping out in public.

During the survey, citizens were asked about wearing masks in their city/district/area. In response to it, 34 per cent of people said that most people don’t have a mask with them and 23 have a mask with them but don’t wear it. On the other hand, 38 per cent of citizens said they have masks but don’t wear them properly. Only 5 per cent said most have a mask and wear it properly.

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As a whole, on an aggregated basis, one in three Indians is not even carrying a mask when they step out in public, said Local Circles.

The Local Circles, who had been conducting surveys from time to time in a study conducted in April 2021, stated that 29 per cent of citizens rated mask compliance as high. However, this per cent stopped to 12 per cent in September and to 2 per cent in November.

“Both the central government and the state government should take necessary steps to create awareness about the mask usage in light of the Omicron variant and should enforce necessary penalties to drive this compliance.” Sachin Taparia, Founder, Local Circles, said.

As per the report, if two individuals are not wearing a mask, in just 10 minutes, the infected person can transmit the virus to the other person; however, if both are wearing an N-95 mask, it requires over 600 hours of exposure for transmission.

The Omicron variant that already triggered global alarm in World was categorized as a ‘variant of concern’ by the World Health Organization (WHO) earlier this week after it was identified in three countries.

Omicron has been detected in over 40 countries worldwide, with India reporting its first two cases in Karnataka.