The Chinese capital has banned “uncivilised” behaviour such as not covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, the city’s government said Sunday (Apr 26), in a new set of regulations to improve public hygiene amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The laws aim to promote “civilised behaviour” in Beijing and relate to combating the pandemic which has infected more than 82,000 in China alone.

Rulebreakers will be slapped with fines for offences including not wearing a mask in public when ill, the municipal government said on its website.

The laws also require public places to set up 1-metre distance markers and to provide communal chopsticks and serving spoons for shared meals.

Citizens must also “dress neatly” in public and not go shirtless – an apparent reference to the so-called “Beijing bikini” practice where men roll T-shirts up to expose their stomachs in hot weather.

The state-run Global Times said the rule equalled a “total ban” of the practice in public places.

moer at channelnewsasia.com

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