Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wore a mask to his customary COVID-19 briefing here on Thursday to stress the civic responsibility, reciprocal social obligation, and medical necessity to cover the face sufficiently in public.
The government had made wearing masks mandatory from Wednesday. On Thursday, the law enforcement booked 954 persons for having failed to abide by the order. The government permits face coverings such as scarves, handkerchiefs, shawls, and towels.
Mr. Vijayan said citizens should wear masks in offices, grocery stores, banks, and other facilities. An official said the government was weighing a sufficiently deterrent penalty to nudge the public in the direction of getting habituated to covering the face in public.
Mr. Vijayan said the crew of cargo lorries entering the State might be a source for the recent bout of infections. He said the epidemic situation remained precarious.
The threat of community spread loomed. Kerala could not afford to let down its guard.