As states remove mask mandates, 9 in 10 Indians said that most people either do not have a mask at all or are not wearing it properly, according to a survey conducted by LocalCircles, a community-based platform.
Only 6 per cent of those who were surveyed said mask compliance is effective in their area.
The survey asked 9,934 people: "What is the current status of mask compliance in your area?" In response, the majority -- 57 per cent of citizens -- said, “Most have a mask but don’t wear it properly” and 22 per cent said “Most have a mask but don’t wear it at all”. About 7 per cent of citizens said, “Most have a mask and wear it properly”.
Up to 11 per cent of citizens said, “Most don’t even have a mask with them now”, while 3 per cent did not have an opinion. "As COVID cases reduce and states remove mask mandates informally by not enforcing or formally, 9 in 10 Indians say most in their area/city/district either do not have a mask at all or are not wearing it properly," the survey found.
In another question which received 10,530 responses, people were asked, “How are people in your city/district/ area now complying to mask norms?”
As per the respondents, 7 per cent of citizens said, “No compliance at all”. There were 36 per cent of citizens who said “0-30 per cent people are compliant”, while 35 per cent said “30-60 per cent” and 10 per cent said “60-90 per cent” people are compliant”. Further, 6 per cent of citizens said “+90 per cent people are complaint”.
LocalCircles also discovered that not enough people were wearing N-95 masks for protection, while two out of three people wore cloth masks.
The question on "What is the kind of mask that you see people in your city/district/area wearing most often?” received 9,880 responses to find that only 6 per cent of Indian citizens said “N-95 mask” and another 6 per cent said “KN-95 or W-95 mask”. Moreover, 20 per cent said they saw people wear “surgical disposable mask ”.
"Many citizens say, removing mask mandate indicates end of pandemic to a large majority and when the 4th wave does arrive, India would have much higher vulnerability," the survey noted.