The Lagos State Government has warned residents that failure to wear a mask in public could land them in prison.

The state government said this in a tweet on Tuesday.

According to the government, failure to wear a mask in public contravenes the Lagos State Infectious Diseases (Prevention) Regulations or Criminal Laws of Lagos State.

The tweet read, “Did you know? Failure to wear a face mask in public or breach of any COVID-19 regulations, you can be prosecuted under the Lagos State Infectious Diseases (Prevention) Regulations or Criminal Laws of Lagos State and upon conviction liable to imprisonment up to one year.”

Lagos State, which is the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, has witnessed a recent spike in the rate of infections.

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The Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has also been in isolation for over a week due to the disease.

Lagos State, which is the commercial capital of Nigeria, recently announced the closure of recreational centres and schools while worship centres are expected not to exceed 50 per cent of their capacity at any given time.

All civil servants below grade level 14 were also asked to work from home while all schools have been shut.