Residents of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, Friday, complied with the total lockdown order of the state government in the efforts to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
DAILY POST reports that at 6.30pm on the first day of the take off of the order, major streets and roads in the state capital were deserted while shops were under lock and key.
Security operatives manned the roads with road blocks visible on most of the roads and junctions in the areas monitored such as a a, Maraba, Upper and Lower Taiwo roads, Murtala Mohammed Road, Road and Zango-Kulende-University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital raid among others.
Major markets such located on Yoruba road, Kulende market, Mandate market, Oja oba market, Para market and Akerebiata market as well as eatery centres were also deserted as at the time of visit by DAILY POST Correspondent.
A unique feature of the compliance was that the police and civil defence corps personnel on duty to enforce the compliance were civil and professional as nobody was harassed or molested in the course of their assignment because some people were forced to trek home due to the absence of commercial vehicles or Okada operators on the roads.
DAILY POST recalls that the state government in the bid to curtail the spread of COVID-19 disease in the state, first ordered a partial lockdown in the state for 14 days but was compelled to shutdown Offa communities totally following the reported case of the death of a suspected COVID-19 patient of Offa origin at the University of Ilorin teaching hospital last Thursday and two other cases of the disease.
The state government further ordered the total shutdown of the whole state Thursday in the bid to contain what was described as moves to stop likely community spread of the pandemic virus.
It ordered no movement of vehicles and people,but allowed markets, food and chemist shops as well as banks and those on essential services to operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am to 2pm.
