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Ethiopia can imprison its citizens for up to two years if they intentionally violate restrictions intended to limit the spread of Covid-19, the attorney general’s office said, amid concerns that people would become negligent after the state was lifted. of emergency.
According to the restrictions of this African country, it is forbidden to shake hands, go out into public spaces without a mask, more than three people at a table. The social distance of two meters must also be maintained. “It’s like the covid is gone, people don’t care”Health Minister Lia Tadesse wrote on Twitter. “This will lead to a possible increase in the spread of the disease and could pose a threat to the nation.”, the minister also said, according to CNN.
Ethiopia, the second most populous nation in Africa, declared a state of emergency in April to prevent the pandemic from spreading. The state of emergency was lifted in September. The Ministry of Health has so far registered 91,118 cases of Covid-19 and 1,384 deaths. Ethiopia has a population of almost 110 million people. By comparison, Romania has a population of 19 million people and has recorded more than 200,000 infections so far.
The disease peaked in late August, but the true extent is difficult to know as testing has also been scaled down due to limited resources. At least 79 people have died from Covid-19 in the past week, the Health Ministry said, but less than 2 percent of the deaths are officially recorded.
The new law adopted after the lifting of the state of emergency allows the application of fines, but also imprisonment of up to two years for those who violate the restrictions, the attorney general’s office said in a statement posted on its Facebook page this week.
Ethiopia has also postponed its regional and parliamentary elections scheduled for August due to the pandemic. These will take place next year.
Africa has not been as affected by the pandemic as Europe and America. Experts say a much younger population, early measures and scattered rural settlements, many of them isolated, have helped keep the spread of the disease in check.
Publisher: DC
