Beijing has banned “uncivilised” behaviour such as not covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, in a new set of regulations to improve public hygiene amid the coronavirus outbreak, AFP reported while quoting the city government.

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 one 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.

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