Vietnam health ministry suggests fines for littering face masks

People may be fined up to 7 million VND for littering face masks in Vietnam as the Health Ministry suggests a penalty to protect people against the novel coronavirus, VnExpress reported.

Both the Vietnamese government and international organizations like the World Health Organization have told people to wear masks in places with lots of people. They have also explained how to safely dispose of the masks.

People have been told to carefully remove the mask and put it in a closed bin.

Many people have been throwing the masks away in the streets, ignoring the guidelines of putting them in closed bins. The ministry said this could help the coronavirus to spread.

The health ministry told localities to make sure people throw the face masks out in closed bins.

If people continue to litter the masks, the ministry has suggested a fine of 3 to 7 million VND for environmental pollution.

They added that localities should make sure there are a lot of bins in public areas.

So far, Vietnam has had 16 cases with seven of them being released from hospital. The death toll has increased to 1,526 worldwide, with only three outside mainland China.