The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday clarified that a person who is driving in his or her own personal car, and is alone, need not wear a mask. Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary in the Health Ministry, also clarified that people who are jogging or cycling alone also need not wear a mask.

Rajesh Bhushan was responding to reporter questions at the Health Ministry’s COVID-19 briefing on Thursday, on instances of police stopping and penalising those who were found not wearing a mask when they were driving a car alone. 

“According to the guidelines issued by the Ministry, if you are travelling alone in a car and are driving it, there is no rule that a mask has to be worn,” Rajesh Bhushan said. 

While exercising, he said, people who are alone need not wear a mask but if citizens have company or are working out in a group, they need to wear masks and maintain physical distancing.

“People are getting more aware of physical activities, and are now jogging and exercising in groups of twos and threes. In such cases, masks are compulsory, since it is important that they do not infect each other. However, if you are cycling alone, then there is no mandatory rule on wearing masks,” he added. 

In Delhi, the police had made it mandatory for those travelling in their own cars to wear a mask and were issuing challans against those found without one. According to a TOI report from last month, the Delhi police had filed cases against over 1,200 people for riding a vehicle without a mask. 

The government on Thursday informed the media that five states in India make up 62% of the active cases in the country. These five states are Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. There are currently 8,15,53 active cases in India, of which around 25% cases are in Maharashtra, 12.5% are in Andhra Pradesh, around 12% in Karnataka, 7% in UP and 6.5% of the active cases in India are from Tamil Nadu.