Beijing bans 'uncivilised' behaviour to improve public hygiene
27 April, 2020
The Chinese capital has banned "uncivilised" behaviour such as for example not covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, the city's government said Sunday (Apr 26), in a fresh set of regulations to boost public hygiene amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The laws aim to promote "civilised behaviour" in Beijing and relate to combating the pandemic which includes infected a lot more than 82,000 in China alone.
Rulebreakers will be slapped with fines for offences including not wearing a mask in public areas when ill, the municipal government said on its website.
The laws additionally require public places to set up 1-metre distance markers and provide communal chopsticks and serving spoons for shared meals.
Citizens must also "dress neatly" in public areas and not go shirtless - an apparent mention of the so-called "Beijing bikini" practice where men roll T-shirts up to expose their stomachs in warm weather.
The state-run Global Times said the rule equalled a "total ban" of the practice in public areas.
Beijing already discourages a variety of "uncivilised" behaviours including public spitting, littering, walking dogs unleashed, throwing things from high buildings, public defecation and smoking in places where it really is prohibited.
However the latest rules - offered Friday - outline new specific punishments.
Fines for littering, spitting and defecation in public areas were upped to no more than 200 yuan (US$28), from a previous upper limit of 50 yuan.
During the past, these regulations were enforced in a patchy way and the habits have not been stamped out completely.
Those who usually do not sort their rubbish effectively could be fined up to 200 yuan, and residents in charge of noise pollution in public spaces and who walk their dogs unleashed could be fined up to 500 yuan.
The laws also inspire police to report serious offences, which might affect a person's social credit score - a fledgling system which aims to determine individual actions across society - though it didn't provide more specifics.
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