Covid protocol compliance hits new lows in India ahead of Diwali celebrations: Survey

As the country gets ready to celebrate Diwali, only 2 per cent of Indians think that masking compliance around them is effective, while only 3 per cent feel that people in their localities and districts are following social distancing norms, according to a survey.

The survey conducted by LocalCircles, a digital community-based platform, received more than 39,000 responses from over 20,000 citizens in 366 districts of India on how people are complying with masking and social distancing protocols during the festive season and travel.

Forty-seven per cent of respondents were from tier 1 districts, 30 per cent from tier 2 districts and 23 per cent from tier 3, 4 and rural districts. While 65 per cent of respondents were men, 35 per cent were women.