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

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.

( With inputs from ANI )

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