Be warned: Failure to wear mask now a criminal offence
Failure to wear a mask in public is now a criminal offence, Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola warned on Monday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced several changes to the lockdown level 3 regulations on Sunday.
The government has now made the wearing of a mask in public mandatory.
Lamola and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma held a media briefing on Monday to elaborate on the new regulations.
"We hope that no one will ever get a criminal record for not wearing a mask because we expected everyone to wear one," said Dlamini-Zuma.
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She said the government intends to ensure that the wearing of a mask becomes normal, to limit the spread of Covid-19.
Lamola said current legislation limits criminal liability to those who were meant to ensure compliance.
"It does indeed create a criminal offence, so as it stands it does not differentiate between a fine or imprisonment, both of them give you some kind of a criminal offence. It is something we are busy dealing with.
“At this stage, the obligation and duty have been put on store managers, owners, building owners and those responsible for various places were members of the public find themselves in.”
He added that cabinet will consider holding individuals criminally liable, should South Africans continue to not wear masks.
The government has also announced that the public can comment on the regulations by sending an email to [email protected].