As PART of the measures being taken by the government to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, the Cabinet passed on Wednesday a decision that made wearing face masks compulsory for all citizens and residents upon leaving house for any reason. The enforcement of the decision starts from today (May 17, 2020), and will remain effective until further notice. As the Cabinet continue to issue decisions and reaffirms continuation of the precautionary measures taken to combat the virus, it has also eased lockdown in some areas which was under lockdown such as Industrial Area to control infection.
The a decision compel all citizens and residents to wear the face mask at the time they come out of their houses for any reason, with some exceptional cases such as driving alone. The law effective from today has stipulated severe punishment in case of non-compliance with this decision. The penalties are stipulated in Decree Law No. (17) of 1990 on the prevention of infectious diseases which stated that violator shall be subject to imprisonment for a period not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding QR (200,000), or one of these two penalties.
The decision also mentioned that the Ministry of Interior takes the necessary measures to enforce the decision; the Ministry yesterday urged people to strictly abide by the cabinet decision which is basically made to ensure safety of the society. Despite earlier precautionary measures taken and high quality healthcare, the cases of infections have entered the peak phase, and this is mainly happening due to lack of awareness and non-compliance to the health rules and health advices according to the health authorities.
Taking the situation into account, the MoI paid much attention to the importance of awareness as one of the factors behind the spread of the virus, especially among the expatriate workers in certain areas, and those not committed to social distancing in particular during this Holy month of Ramadan. In order to reach this segment of the society and prepare for the enforcement of the decision, the Ministry launched an aggressive awareness campaign using different languages including Arabic, English, Urdu, Malayalam and other languages.
The Ministry reiterated that adherence to the Cabinet decision and all precautionary measures taken by the government to curb COVID-19 “embodies the concept of joint responsibility and enhances public safety. Therefore everyone must comply with these measures and health instructions including biding “to the quarantine requirements will enhance public safety and avoids legal accountability”. Negligence or lack of awareness or ignorance of the rules does not forgive any violators from legal accountability.
