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Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom on Wednesday asked churches and mosques to reopen with staggered worship sessions in strict adherence to the rule of social and physical distancing.
Markets are to be opened but subject to physical distancing protocol on COVID-19 while schools are to remain closed till further notice.
The governor gave the directive while announcing a review of the COVID-19 measures earlier put in place by the state government in line with the Presidential Task Force on the coronavirus pandemic.
“Churches and mosques with effect from today Wednesday, June 3, 2020, can now hold staggered worship sessions. This implies that a church or mosque which before now held two worship sessions should henceforth conduct four or more sessions in a day to ensure physical distancing.
Ortom also insisted that each worship session must not exceed more than one hour even as he advised churches and mosques to provide water, soap and alcohol-based hand sanitizers for worshippers, and should insist on wearing of face masks.
The governor also asked Benue State civil servants on grade levels 1 to 12 to resume work on June 8, 2020, adding that workers are to always wear face masks and maintain physical distancing as they go to work.
He stated further that all public gatherings are permitted with a maximum of 30 persons who must comply with the protocol on COVID-19 with running water, soap and hand sanitizers provided at such gatherings.
The governor maintained that inter-state movement remains banned, except for those on essential services, stressing that the prevailing curfew in the state had been reviewed to now last between 10pm to 4am daily, until further notice.
