President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday violated the coronavirus
(COVID-19) Health Protection Regulations 2021 Act he recently signed
into law.
Buhari had on Wednesday signed the new law prescribing
six-month jail term for persons convicted for disobeying any COVID-19
guideline.
Although most of the provisions were already in place, the legal instrument provided a basis for the prosecution of defaulters.
As
provided in the Quarantine Act, section 34 of the new law states that
any offence under the regulation is punishable by a fine or a term of
six months imprisonment or both.
The law provides for the
maintenance of physical distance in gatherings, while all persons in
such public places must, among other things, wear face masks, wash their
hands and have their temperature checked before entering such venues.
It
also restricts gathering of more than 50 persons in an enclosed space
“except for religious purposes, in which case the gathering shall not
exceed 50% capacity of the space”.
It further mandates
institutions such as schools, banks and worship centres to enforce
existing guidelines to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
However, the
President failed to adhere to the protocols, thereby violating the law
during the validation of his membership of the All Progressives Congress
(APC) at Sarkin Yara Ward in Daura, Katsina State.
Pictures
seen by SaharaReporters show Buhari at different times in midst of
scores of people not observing social distancing as stipulated by law.
He was also seen without face mask few times, even with people around him or having conversations with him closely.
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