Wearing protective masks will be mandatory in Mumbai, municipal authorities said on Wednesday, adding that people violating orders will face strict action and even arrest.

A notification released by the Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation said the masks have to be worn by people out in public spaces like hospitals, markets and offices. Officials must wear masks at meetings, the notification said. “These masks may be standard mask available with the chemist or even homemade washable masks and can be reused after proper washing and disinfecting them,” the order read.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had earlier said that the coronavirus outbreak in the metropolis has reached the stage of community transmission. On Wednesday morning, 44 fresh cases have been found in areas under the BMC. Two more coronavirus cases were reported from Dharavi slum on Wednesday.

With 1,018 cases of coronavirus, Maharashtra is the worst-hit state in the country.

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Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday said it will soon pass an order that people stepping out of their houses will need to cover their face with a mask or cloth, NDTV reported. Earlier in the day, the state government announced that it will seal parts of 15 districts worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic including Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Lucknow, Agra, Shamli and Saharanpur till April 15 to slow down the spread of infection. Uttar Pradesh has 326 coronavirus cases so far, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Three people in the state have died of Covid-19.

The number of coronavirus cases in India has risen to 5,274, according to the Ministry of Health and Family welfare. Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus has killed 149 people across the country. At an all-party meeting via video conference on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the nationwide lockdown to control coronavirus pandemic may have to be extended after April 14.