Qatar to dole out $55,000 fines, jail time for not wearing face masks

Masks are mandatory for all Qataris who leave their homes, except when driving alone.
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Starting May 17, it will be mandatory to wear masks outdoors in Qatar except for people driving by themselves. Here, a man wears a protective face mask following the outbreak of the coronavirus as he pushes a cart (unseen) in the souq Waqif in Doha, Qatar, March 12, 2020. - REUTERS
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

Beginning Sunday, wearing face masks in public will be mandatory across Qatar, with violators at risk of jail time and up to $55,000 in fines. 

Masks will be mandatory “upon leaving the house for any reason” except when “alone while driving a vehicle,” the Qatar News Agency reported Thursday. The regulations will remain in place “until further notice.” 

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