Jharkhand Congress MLA says masks should not be worn for too long, sparks row

Jan 11, 2022

Dhanbad (Jharkhand) [India], January 12 : Amid rising cases of COVID-19, a Congress MLA in Jharkhand Dr Irfan Ansari on Tuesday sparked a controversy by saying that masks "should not be used for long".
"Masks should not be worn for long. I am saying as an MBBS doctor that there should not be prolonged mask usage. One should wear a mask in crowds. There is no need to panic during this third wave of COVID-19. The symptoms will get cured in five-six days," he said when asked about his not wearing a mask in a programme.
Ansari is MLA from Jamtara.
Jharkhand reported 4,482 new COVID cases and two deaths in the last 24 hours, said the state health department on Monday.