The government of Malaysia has threatened to jail people who refuse to wear face masks when wearing them becomes mandatory, writes Straits Times, citing the statement by Director-General of Health of Malaysia Hisham bin Abdullah, TASS reports.

“The Malaysian government calls on the population to wear face masks, especially in public places where it is hard to maintain social distancing,” the official said and reminded that even though the rule to wear face masks isn’t in effect, offenders will be fined $235 or be jailed for a few months.

According to him, professionals say wearing a face mask can help reduce the risk of spread of the coronavirus by 65%

Based on the latest statistics, Malaysia has reported over 8,800 coronavirus cases.