NEW DELHI, India: A government order released to reporters this week said New Delhi will continue to enforce a mask mandate due to a rise in COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks.

A similar order in April failed to improve compliance by the public.

The order dated 8th August stipulates that people caught without masks in public will be fined 500 rupees ($6).

Currently, mask-wearing is rarely followed, even in shopping malls and crowded markets.

Over the past 24 hours, New Delhi reported 2,146 new infections and eight deaths, the worst figures among Indian states and federal territories.

During that period, India has reported 16,299 new cases, bringing the cumulative total to 44.2 million, while deaths rose by 53 to 526,879.

However, more accurate numbers are thought to be many times higher.