Kenyans to be arrested for not wearing masks

Kenya’s police boss has said the grace period for everyone not wearing face masks has expired and arrests will now take place, starting on Wednesday.

Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai said people had been given enough time to buy the masks and enforcement will now start.

The ministry of health gazetted that anyone found in public without a mask will be fined 20,000 Kenyan shillings ($190; £150) or face a six-month jail term.

Public transport operators had earlier asked the government to supply them with masks, citing high costs.

Currently a single-use mask is retailing at 100 Kenyan shillings while a N95 version retails for up to 1,500 Kenyan shillings.

The government had issued a directive that everyone in public places wears a mask and contacted various companies to help in the production of masks.

The ministry has been running public education campaigns about how to wear and remove masks to ensure no contamination takes place.

Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, the official advice from the World Health Organization has been clear. Only two types of people should wear masks: those who are sick and show symptoms, and those who are caring for people who are suspected to have the coronavirus.