Ghanaians on social media have described the punishment for not wearing a face mask in public as unnecessary.

According to a new Executive Instrument (E.I. 164), which was signed by President Akufo-Addo on June 15, 2020, persons who fail to wear face masks in public could face a jail term of between 4 and 10 years or pay a fine of between GHS12,000 and GHS60,000 or both.

The Executive Instrument states that the police have the authority to make random checks to “ensure enforcement compliance.”

The mandatory wearing of face masks, which is part of measures to stop the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, will be in force for a period of three months.

But Ghanaians on social media are not happy about this punishment as some have described it as “harsh”, “stupid” and “nonsense”.

According to them, the government could have employed other form of punishments that are not as severe as this.

They also argued that the government has failed in educating Ghanaians on COVID-19, and they are wrong for passing a law which will only affect the poor and vulnerable in the country.

They, however, entreated the government to focus on finding better solutions to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country, as they claim this punishment is not the solution to the problem at hand.

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