As COVID-19 cases rise in U.P., masks become compulsory in NCR districts, Lucknow 

Over the past 24 hours, 65 positive cases were recorded in Gautam Buddha Nagar, 20 in Ghaziabad and 10 in Lucknow, said the U.P. government.

With an increase in COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh, the State government on Monday said it had made it compulsory for people to wear masks in public places in the State capital Lucknow and districts in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to make it compulsory for people to wear masks in Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Meerut, Bulandshahr, Baghpat and Lucknow. Those left out in the vaccination drive should be identified and given shots, Mr. Adityanath further told officials in a review meeting.

Over the past 24 hours, 65 positive cases were recorded in Gautam Buddha Nagar, 20 in Ghaziabad and 10 in Lucknow, said the government.

Genome screening of the samples of the positive cases in NCR confirmed the Omicron variant, it added.

There are 695 active cases in the State and 83,864 samples were tested over the last 24 hours out of which 115 were found to be positive.