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Ethiopia will begin jailing people for up to two years if they refuse to wear face masks in public, according to Reuters.
The country has a total of 89,860 coronavirus cases and 1,365 deaths, according to the Ethiopian embassy in Washington.
This is likely a notably undercount, because the evidence there is limited, as it has been in other countries.
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Other restrictions in Africa’s second most populous country include staying at least 6 feet away and not shaking hands, according to Reuters.
Officials take the temperature of visitors to Lideta Church as a precaution against the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on June 9 (Photo by Minasse Wondimu Hailu / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) .
“Due to coordinated efforts, [coronavirus] it did not affect Ethiopia as it did in other countries. However, the damage will be worse if we do not return to normality while taking precautions, “the Ethiopian prime minister said in a Facebook update this week.” Let’s keep our distance, wear masks and keep our hands clean. “
The Ethiopian embassy to the United States did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Dozens of countries around the world introduced a mask mandate at some point during the pandemic.
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In the United States, 34 states and Washington require some form of mask wearing in public, according to a tally by Axios.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has called for a national mask mandate.
“All Americans should wear a mask when outside for the next three months at a minimum; all governors must require mandatory use of masks,” Biden said in August.
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Meanwhile, President Trump has criticized Biden’s request for a mask mandate, although he recently encouraged Americans to wear them after initially resisting wearing one.
“We will continue to urge Americans to wear masks when they cannot socially distance themselves, but it is not necessary that the full burden of the federal government be placed on law-abiding Americans to achieve this goal,” Trump said in August. “Americans should have their freedoms.”
Associated Press contributed to this report.
