Egypt collects $383,691 worth of fines in one week from mask violators

Egypt has collected six million Egyptian pounds ($383,691) worth of fines in one week from people found not to be wearing a face mask, reports the state-run Al-Ahram.

Over 125,000 people have been issued fines and roughly 121,000 have paid; 4,577 have been referred to the prosecution over their unpaid fines.

The news comes shortly after the Interior Ministry announced that it had referred 1,112 people to the public prosecutor after they refused to pay the 50 Egyptian pound ($3.19) fine for not wearing a mask.

In 24 hours, 20,986 people were fined for violating the mask regulations, and over 16,000 businesses were shut down.

A week ago, the government announced that people caught without a mask in public indoor spaces would be fined or prosecuted.

READ: Egypt bans mobile phones in hospitals following ICU ward mass death

It was one of a series of preventative measures issued to stem the spread of coronavirus, including the cancellation of weddings, funerals, festivals and other mass gatherings.

The hospitality industry has been told to reduce to 50 per cent capacity and shops have been issued shorter opening hours.

Many Egyptians questioned whether the health minister, who was caught on camera at a wedding at a time that is thought to be after the new regulations were brought in, would also be fined.

Hala Zayed was wearing a mask but she was surrounded by huge numbers of guests who were not.

Zayed recently came under intense scrutiny after she initially denied that there was an oxygen shortage in hospitals after an entire ICU ward died when the pressure dropped too low.

She later announced that certain measures would be taken to ensure this didn’t happen again.