All COVID restrictions to expire on March 31; masks to remain mandatory

The Centre will remove all existing COVID-10 restrictions on March 31. 

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday (March 23) said the Disaster Management Act will no longer be invoked for COVID-safety, but people will still have to wear mask in public places.

Measures under the Disaster Management Act will expire on March 31.

The Centre’s decision comes at a time when cases of BA.2 – a subvariant of Omicron –  are rising in China, South Korea, Vietnam, France and Germany.

The number of new coronavirus cases globally increased by 7 per cent in the last week, even as reported deaths from COVID-19 fell, the World Health Organization said. 

There were more than 12 million new weekly cases and just under 33,000 deaths, a 23 per cent decline in mortality, according to the UN health agency’s report issued late Tuesday.