Union Health Ministry on Monday said that the country was transitioning to a "new normal" and preventive measures need to be followed outside containment zones also including compulsory wearing of face masks.
"We are transitioning to a new normal. We need to compulsorily wear face masks/covers in public places. Preventive measures need to be followed outside containment zones as well," said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, at the regular media briefing on COVID-19 situation.
He cautioned against any complacency, saying it can lead to coronavirus cases.
"There is a fine line that we need to follow. Being complacent can lead to emergence of new COVID-19 cases. Also, emergence of cases in districts where no cases have been reported so far can lead to imposition of fresh restrictions," the official said.
"To prevent such a situation and to maintain the benefits of lockdown, we should understand our social responsibility and ensure we behave responsibly as lockdown eases and diligently follow all protocols and guidelines," he added.
Agarwal said that it has been noted that if social distancing is not respected, chances of disease transmission increase rapidly.
"In pandemics such as COVID-19, historically it has been noted that if social distancing is not respected when social mobility is allowed, chances of disease transmission increase rapidly once restrictions are eased," he said.
According to the official data, India has registered 2,553 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases now stand at 44,532.
The lockdown has been extended for two weeks with guidelines and relaxations specific to different zones.
( With inputs from ANI )