Man shot dead for flouting coronavirus rules in Philippines

NEWS DESK 

A 63-year-old man has been shot dead by police in the Philippines after he became enraged for being told to wear a facemask, marking the first reported case of authorities shooting a civilian for breaching coronavirus restrictions.

The man was believed to have been drunk when he threatened village authorities with a scythe – a sharp blade – in the southern town of Nasipit in Agusan del Norte province, police said on Saturday.

"The suspect was cautioned by a village health worker ... for not wearing a face mask," the police report said.

"But the suspect got angry, uttering provoking words and eventually attacked the personnel using a scythe."

Mandatory face masks

The government ordered on Thursday all people across the archipelago nation's main islands to wear face masks when going outside during its month-long lockdown.

"Let me repeat - if you need to go out of your house, you need to wear a mask," government official Karlo Nograles said, according to the German Press Agency.

Nograles added it doesn't have to be a medical mask, but any improvised covering which covers the mouth and nose.

The Philippines has over 3,000 confirmed positive cases of the coronavirus and 144 people have died so far.