The Qatari Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued circular on Sunday, April 26, requiring shoppers, customers and employees in the public and private sectors whose work requires them to provide services to the public to wear masks while performing their duties, as part of the preventive and precautionary measures taken by Qatar to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The Ministry warned that violators will be imprisoned for a period not exceeding three years and a fine of no more than QR 200,000 ($55,000) or one of these two penalties, Jordan News Agency (Petra) reported.

The Ministry’s circular stated that "based on the decision of the Qatari Cabinet, as part of the preventive and precautionary measures taken by the country to curb the spread of coronavirus, to complement previous decisions and precautionary measures and in the interest of public safety, it has been decided to obligate employees and workers in the government and private sectors whose work requires providing services to the public and customers to wear masks while carrying out their duties and tasks.

The circular stated that clients are also required to wear masks, and government and private sector officials are urged to take the necessary measures to prevent entry of any customers or clients who are not committed to that.