Not wearing a face mask in Kenya could have you spending most of 2020 behind bars.
Hillary Mutyambai, the country’s inspector general of police, said on Wednesday that anyone spotted without a mask may face up to six months in jail, a $200 fine, or both. In addition to wearing face masks when out in public, people driving in their own cars are also required to don a mask or face penalties.
“Now it is compulsory to put the face masks [on],” Mutyambai told a group of reporters. “I’ve instructed the police officers to enforce this.”
Kenya is in the midst of a three-week lockdown that began late last month and is set to end on April 17 unless it is extended. Mutyambai emphasized that the grace period for Kenyans to obtain masks has now come to a close and said that requiring masks is for “the good of the people.”
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe clarified over the weekend that even drivers of private vehicles will be required to sport a covering.
“Users of public or private transport and public transport operators shall wear proper masks that must cover the mouth and nose,” Kagwe said. “They should also maintain a physical distance of not less than a meter.”
The world reached more than two million confirmed coronavirus cases and about 130,000 deaths on Wednesday. In Kenya, there have been 225 infections and at least 10 deaths.
