President Muhammadu Buhari, has signed the Coronavirus Disease Health Protection Bill 2021 making the use of face masks in public places mandatory, among other measures to curtail the further spread of COVID-19.
The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, told journalists in Abuja on Wednesday that the President signed the document on Tuesday.
He said the President signed the document in the exercise of the powers conferred on him by Section 4 of the Quarantine Act, Cap. Q2 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2010.
With the President’s signing of the regulation, it is now an offence for anyone not to wear a face mask that properly covers the nose and mouth with state agencies also empowered to enforce the regulation.
Part 1 of regulation, which deals with restrictions on gatherings, stipulates that at all gatherings, a physical distance of at least two metres shall be maintained at all times between persons.
It added, “No gathering of more than 50 persons shall hold in an enclosed space, except for religious purposes, in which case the gathering shall not exceed 50 per cent capacity of the space.
“All persons in public gatherings, whether in enclosed or open spaces, shall adhere to the provisions of Part 2 of these Regulations.
“The provisions of these regulations may be varied by Guidelines and Protocols as may be issued, from time to time, by the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 on the recommendation of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.”
In the same vein, Part 2 of the regulation stipulates that no person shall be allowed within the premises of a market, mall, supermarket, shop, restaurants, hotels, event centres, gardens, leisure parks, recreation centres, motor parks, fitness centre or any other similar establishment.
It, however, stated that an exemption is when the person “is wearing a face covering that covers the nose and mouth, he washes his hands or cleaned the hands using hand sanitiser approved by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, and his body temperature has been checked. Any person found to have a body temperature above 38 degrees Celsius shall be denied entry and advised to immediately seek medical attention.”
