Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has announced new preventive measures to stop the spread of Coronavirus pandemic in the state.
DAILY POST reports that the Governor is not happy that some religious organisations on Sunday, defied government order banning gatherings of more than 50 persons at a time.
In a statement on Monday, Gov Abiodun, while announcing the new measures to control the surge of Coronavirus, threatened that, “henceforth, any group of more than 20 persons that congregate in the name of any meeting – spiritual or secular – shall be visited with the full wrath of the law.”
He said the State Task Force had been mandated to ensure full and total compliance with the directive.
Aside from reducing the threshold of people who may gather in one place at a time from 50 to 20, Gov Abiodun said, “All heads of State Ministries, Departments and Agencies and Local Governments are to draw up rosters that would ensure that not more than 20 percent of staff across all cadres work daily, thus ensuring that most staff come to work once a week. Health Workers, Fire Service and Ogun State Emergency Management Authority (OGSEMA) are exempted from this arrangement.”
The Governor also ordered that “banks, telecommunications and other similar service providers that offer services in hubs and or bays are required to ensure that not more than 20 clients are in their service areas at a time. Social distancing must be maintained between those who will be on the queue.”
At all Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Points, operators are mandated to provide wipes, hand-washing facilities and sanitisers for seamless use by clients.
Also, the leaderships of all gated markets, shops are told that entry controls should be maintained to ensure a maximum of 20 people could congregate at each trading point at every point in time within the markets or shops.
For open markets, the leaders are enjoined to work with the State Task Force and their Local Government counterparts to ensure that the social distancing of five feet is maintained as well as maximum of 20 persons density in the markets.
“In addition, market leaders are directed to draw up rosters of various market or product groups to open and sell their wares in rotation whilst this order lasts,” Abiodun emphasised.
The statement, which was signed by the Chief Press Secretary to Abiodun, Kunle Somorin, reads further: “All Taxi cabs are directed to carry not more than THREE passengers at once; with a maximum of two at the back. Tricycles are to carry a maximum of TWO passengers at the same time. Motorcycles (popularly called okada) are limited to ONE passenger and the rider must use nose mask
“Buses are limited to TWO persons per row while standing, squatting, lapping or hanging are not allowed at all.
“All unions at all intra/interstate motor parks in the state are to ensure that temperature of drivers, conductors and passengers is taken and those above the threshold are not allowed to drive or travel.
“Drivers and conductors are to wear hand gloves and nose masks through the duration of trips. These measures apply to all vehicles, irrespective of the ownership or use (commercial, private or company). Indeed, it is advisable that windows of vehicles are wound down to allow free air circulation, when in use, with minimal use of air-conditioners, unless where it becomes absolutely inevitable.
“Local Government Chairmen are to identify suitable facilities such as event/social centres, school halls, community halls, in their respective areas that could be easily prepared and deployed as COVID-19 treatment facilities in the unlikely event of a surge in the corona virus cases in the State,” he said.
