The defaulters were arrested following an operation by the Operations Team of Railways Police Command in Accra on Tuesday.
Dubbed ‘Operation Wear Your Mask’, the Police officers stormed Kantamanto in the Central Business District to enforce the mandatory wearing of face mask directive.
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Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, DSP Effia Tenge, said the arrested persons have been granted bail and asked to report back at the police station on June 24.
“The railway operational team yesterday [Tuesday] embarked on ‘operation wear your mask’ in the Central Business District of Accra. This was part of measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 where people are mandated to put on their face masks any time they go into the public space,” she said, as quoted by Citi News.
“40 persons in all were arrested at the end of the operation. They were brought to the police station and various caution statements were taken from them, after which they were granted bail to report on 24th June for further action to be taken on them.”
A new Executive Instrument (E.I 164) signed by President Akufo-Addo means it is now an offence to step in public without wearing a face mask.
Those who fail to wear face masks in public could face between four- and 10- year jail sentences or pay a fine of GHC12,000 to GHC60,000.