More than 200 charged in Qatar for not wearing masks

COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing in Qatar, though hospitalizations remain low.
KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images
People wearing protective masks queue for services in Qatar's capital Doha on May 17, 2020, as the country begins enforcing the world's toughest penalties for failing to wear masks in public while it battles one of the world's highest coronavirus infection rates. - KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

Hundreds of people in Qatar have been referred for prosecution for allegedly violating measures aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19.

The official Qatar News Agency reported today that 354 offenders have been referred for prosecution. The number includes 286 people charged with not wearing masks and 65 accused of not maintaining social distancing. Another three were charged with not downloading Qatar’s contact-tracing mobile application known as Ehteraz based on Decree Law No. 17, which tasks Qatar’s governmental cabinet with containing infectious diseases.

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