After months of lockdown due to COVID-19, Lagos state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has directed that religious worships should re-open starting from 7 August 2020, while emphasizing that Night clubs, Bars and Cinemas will Remain shut.
The governor, made the announcement in his 17th update on the coronavirus situation report on the state, at Lagos House, Marina, on Saturday. Sanwo-Olu while directing that Mosques and Churches should reopen for normal services warn that hugs, handshakes and high-fives are prohibited in churches
The Lagos state government had on June 4, asked mosques to reopen from June 19 and churches from June 21, after the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 approved the reopening of worship centres. However, at a briefing on June 16, the governor cancelled the plan due to increasing COVID-19 cases in the state. In Saturday’s broadcast, Sanwo-Olu said: “Social clubs and recreational centres will also now be allowed to open from August 14, on the condition that they have applied for and obtained a Provisional Safety Compliance Certificate through the registration portal of the Lagos State Safety Commission.
“Note that these Safety Clearance Certificates are at this time being issued only to social clubs with Registered Trustees. “Clubs and centres that reopen without complying with these mandatory requirements will be shut down and dealt with according to the law. “The closure of all spas, bars, lounges, night clubs, cinemas, games arcades remains in place. The possible reopening of these places will be further reviewed before the end of the month.” He said the state government would be ramping up monitoring and enforcement work, to ensure that all guidelines and directives are complied with to the letter.
Regarding the schools, Sanwo-Olu directed that secondary schools should reopen, as earlier communicated by the Ministry of Education, from August 3, for exit classes only; that is, SS3 and TEC3 students only. Furthermore, “handshakes, hugs, and “high fives” are not permitted at services or gatherings, and should be emphasized by displaying appropriate signs prominently. “The use of stationary collection boxes and electronic methods for the collection of offerings must be encouraged.”
