Ethiopia can jail people for up to two years if they deliberately violate restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19, Reuters quoted the attorney general's office as saying, amid concern that citizens are becoming lax after a state of emergency was lifted.

The restrictions prohibit shaking hands, not wearing a mask in a public place, seating more than three people at a table or not keeping “two adult steps” — around six feet — apart.

“Now it is as if Covid is no longer there, the public is not taking care,” Health Minister Lia Tadesse tweeted on Thursday. “This will cause a possible increase in the spread of the disease and might be a threat to the nation.

Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous nation and a regional powerhouse, declared a state of emergency in April to curb the spread of the pandemic. It was lifted in September.

The health ministry has recorded 91,118 Covid-19 cases, 1,384 deaths and 44,506 recoveries so far.