In Kigali, You Will Pay $10 For Not Wearing a Mask
The authorities in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, have announced that people will be fined $10 for not wearing face masks in public or not wearing them properly.
The same fine will also be imposed for violating the 2 meter social distancing rule in public, or ignoring the night-time curfew.
Organisers of parties and other illegal gatherings could be fined $200, and those who attend $25.
These latest measures to curb the spread of coronavirus have led to a backlash on Twitter.
“I wonder if heavy penalties will scare the virus away or will [financially] ruin people furthermore,” one person tweeted.
Rwanda has so far reported more than 4,200 Covid-19 and 17 fatalities.
It has been praised for being effective in the fight against the disease, and is the only country in sub-Saharan Africa whose residents are allowed to enter the European Schengen zone.
Rwanda was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to impose a total lockdown after confirming its first cases.
Some people who violated restrictions were taken to stadiums or school buildings where they were forced to sit all night or day.