Wearing mask is not mandatory but advised, says Maharashtra health minister
Mumbai, Jun 4: Amid confusion over the Maharashtra government's latest communication on the use of masks, Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Saturday said it was only an appeal and masks have not been made mandatory in the state.
Coronavirus cases have been rising steadily in the state for the last few days.
The state health department on Friday issued a letter to district and civic authorities, asking them to ramp up testing and advising people to wear masks in enclosed spaces such as trains, buses, cinemas, auditoriums, offices, hospitals, colleges and schools.
But confusion prevailed as to whether it intended to make the use of masks mandatory once again. The mask compulsion had been removed in April.
Speaking to reporters in Pune, Tope said, Although the letter by the health ministry says the use of masks is a must, it is in fact an appeal to people to wear masks. No action will be taken against those who don't wear them.
Wearing masks is advised in enclosed places such as trains, buses, schools and colleges. People are expected to wear masks in such places, he added.
The surge in COVID-19 cases is noticeable in Mumbai, Pune, Palghar, Thane and parts of Raigad district, the minister said.
The Union health ministry had also sent an advisory to the state a few days ago regarding the increase in cases, Tope said.
The state task force on COVID-19 which met two days ago in Mumbai decided to appeal to people to wear masks more frequently to minimise the chances of contracting the infection. The state government will observe the situation for the next 15 days, he said.
Though the cases are on the rise, hospitalisations are still very low, indicating that infections are very mild, he said.
The state government has also asked all district collectors and municipal commissioners to accelerate testing and vaccination. The authorities should monitor whether people are wearing masks at designated places, Tope said.
Maharashtra on Friday recorded 1,134 new coronavirus infections, the highest daily rise in cases since February 24, and three deaths. The tally of active cases rose 12 per cent to 5,127.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
