COVID-19: Fayemi imposes fresh restrictions on social, religious gatherings in Ekiti

The Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has placed fresh restrictions on social and religious gatherings in response to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in the state.

He also imposed the use of face masks in public places.

Fayemi directed transporters in the state to reduce the number of passengers by half.

The governor, who gave the directives in an address read on his behalf by the state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oyebanji Filani on Tuesday in Ado Ekiti, said the state had recorded more than 180 COVID-19 cases between July and this month.

According to him, the restriction on religious gatherings will take effect from Friday for Muslims and Sunday for Christians in all worship centres across the state.

He stressed that the state government would leave no stone unturned in the bid to check the spread of the deadly COVID-19 variant in the state.

Fayemi said: “We are constrained to respond to this development with the following non-pharmaceutical control measures, which remain our best means of containing the pandemic in the state.

“We must never trivialise the danger that COVID-19 continues to pose to us. We must ensure we do not have a reversal of fortune. We cannot afford a community infection that could easily overwhelm our capacity and return us to another round of stay-at-home with even more stringent measures.”

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“It is my duty to inform you that Ekiti State is experiencing an unwelcome increase in the number of COVID-19 confirmed positive cases. In the month of July, we recorded 95 cases, and we have now recorded 85 cases in the first week of August. That is 85 cases in just six days.

“We are obviously experiencing the third wave with more cases than we experienced in the second wave in March 2021. Besides, with the introduction of the Delta strain of the COVID-19 virus in the country and the recent evidence of its community transmission as reported by NCDC (Nigeria Centre for Disease Control), it is imperative for us as a state to enforce our existing COVID-19 regulations more strictly to safeguard the health of our people.”

He revealed that public gatherings especially social, political and business in the state should be restricted to only 50 persons with the social distancing of six-feet and mandatory use of face masks.

“Our religious gatherings in the state would be with temporary restrictions starting from Friday, August 13, 2021, for Muslims and Sunday, August 15, 2021, for Christians. All gatherings must be held in strict and full compliance with the regulations regarding worship centres which include social distancing of six-feet between worshippers, hand washing and face masks.”

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