The Council of Ministers has approved a regulation that outlaws handshakes and obligates the use of face masks in public places. Non-compliance could be punished with up to three years in jail or a fine of up to 200,000 Br.

The regulation comes into effect a day after parliament legislated the emergency decree, but the country was in the dark as to the details of the decree until an announcement was made on the evening of April 11, 2020.

The regulation outlaws gatherings of over four people, sports activities, visiting prisoners, attending funerals, operating a bar or movie business, increasing rental fees, evicting renters, and laying off employees of private companies without following the procedures of the Labour Ministry. Mass religious and social gatherings, as well as large political and government functions, are also on the long list of banned activities in the regulations.

Restaurants and hotels cannot allow more than three people to sit at a table, people cannot cross borders without getting approval from the Council of Ministers, and all public transport providers are required to cut loading capacity by half, according to the new decree.

A ministerial committee or a government body delegated by the committee can compel businesses to make their premises available for the use of virus tracking and isolation, according to the regulation. The committee can also compel businesses to provide service or manufacture products that help the country to contain the spread of the virus.

Accordingly, any person who violates the suspension of rights and fails to comply with the obligations will face three years imprisonment or a fine of no less than 1,000 Br and not exceeding 200,000 Br.

Mesfin Negash, a  journalist and political commentator, described the state of emergency as ''detailed, aggressive, stringent."

"Enforcing it will be a challenge, the human and economic impact painful," he tweeted. "We really need to support the effort to shorten this nightmare. It’ll be an excruciating walk, but we’ll prevail."

The Council first announced the decree on April 8, two days before the parliament's legislation. For unknown reasons, the MPs discussed and approved the bill without televising the session to the public. The parliament, which is in its last term, has ratified the state of emergency that will be in place for five months with 390 MPs present.  Adhana Haile (PhD), member of the parliament and TPLF, chose to abstain.

"It’s not that I don’t recognize the need for the decree," he said, "but I have my personal reservations on the content, as it is too generic. Looking at the very nature of the virus, the adversity of the pandemic can be contained within the next three months before summer ends."

If it can’t be contained within this period, then the executive body can extend the time, according to him.

"It isn’t convincing to impose the order for this long from the get-go unless there is a political agenda behind it, that is why I refrained from voting,” he said.