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Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti, Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan and Clement Adeyi, Osogbo
Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, yesterday inaugurated a task force to ensure strict compliance with executive orders banning gatherings of more than 20 persons to forestall the spread of coronavirus.
It was also disclosed that 37 out of 42 persons suspected to have had direct contacts with the dead American that allegedly imported the disease to Ekiti, had been identified and put under solitary confinement.
Members of the committees include 16 council chairmen, Nigeria Army, Department of State Services, Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps, market men and women, Ekiti State environmental inspectors and other ethnic nationalities.
Inaugurating the committee, Fayemi, represented by the Commissioner for Environment, Gbenga Agbeyo, said the government was not happy about the way the order banning congregation of more than 20 people was being defied.
Terms of reference to be executed, according to the governor are: “To ensure all private and public schools are closed, that there is no gathering of more than 20 persons anywhere, that all public transport carries the required number of people and ensure all market men and women practice hand washing in their shops.”
The governor charged the chairmen to prevail on religious leaders in their councils to stop huge crowd while conducting their services.
Lagos adopts bio-security measures at abattoirs, slaughter houses
Lagos State Government has adopted some bio-security measures at every facility within the Oko-Oba abattoir and Lairage complex as well as other slaughter houses within the state.
Commissioner for Agriculture, Gbolahan Lawal, yesterday said the measures taken were to mitigate against the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
Lawal, in a statement, said the state government had stopped all non-essential activities such as food vendors and other non-related abattoir activities.
He added that the ban on any religious gathering or any form of gathering that involve more than 20 people would be strictly enforced at the abattoir and slaughter houses in the state.
The commissioner said those houses were expected to provide hand sanitisers and distance thermometer at the entrance of their facilities.
Lawal said it was now important for all unit heads of abattoirs to sensitise all the butchers in their respective abattoirs on the dangers and preventable measures against COVID-19 in the state.
He said there was need to sensitise the entire abattoir stakeholders on the need for sick members to stay away from the abattoir and seek medical assistance.
The commissioner stressed the need for crowd-control during slaughtering process, where a maximum of four people per cow should be adhered to on the slab.
Lawal reiterated that the state government would not condone any illegal conveyance of meat and meat products from any of the abattoirs and slaughter houses to the markets.
Osun Assembly suspends legislative activities
Osun State House of Assembly yesterday suspended all parliament activities in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic bedevilling the world.
Chairman, House Committee on Information, Kunle Akande, who disclosed this in Osogbo after a parliamentary session, said the Assembly, having realised it would be difficult to maintain the recommended social distancing, decided to put sessions and hearings on hold for 16 days.
He said the House took the decision in order to ensure everyone in the state is safe.
The move, he also noted, was in compliance with the directive of the state and federal governments to cancel gatherings of over 50 persons.
Ondo bans political, social, religious gatherings
Ondo State Government, yesterday banned political, social and religious gatherings for 14 days.
Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo, in a statement, said the government took the decision to stem the spread of coronavirus in the state,
According to him, the State Executive Council, at its meeting yesterday, deliberated on the COVID-19 pandemic and in order to stem its menace, cabinet took far-reaching decisions in the overall interest of the state.
These decisions, he said, were additional regulations to those already reeled out in the governor’s broadcast to the people.
“Government hereby places total ban on all political, social and religious gatherings for 14 days in the first instance.
“Gatherings at clubs, beer parlours and joints are prohibited until further notice.
“All civil servants from Grade Levels 01-12, except those on essential duties as may be determined by their respective accounting officers and chief executives, are hereby advised to stay at home for now.
“In the meantime, the government wishes to encourage the PDP in Ondo State to consider postponing its state congress scheduled for today and take a cue from Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, who by public apology, agreed that the party did not exercise discretion by organising a political rally in Ibadan,” he said.
NUJ accuses Makinde of poor response
Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council, yesterday raised the alarm over alleged poorly equipped COVID-19 centres created by the state government to handle emergencies.
This came as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Nigeria rose to 35 with one death yesterday, and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, went into self-isolation because he had contact with Mohammed Atiku, son of former vice president Atiku Abubakar, who has tested positive to coronavirus.
NUJ Secretary, Sola Oladapo, in a statement in Ibadan, after a committee set up by the union, visited some isolation centres for COVID-19 pandemic in Ibadan, the state capital.
The union also tasked the government to enforce full implementation of stay-at-home order in schools as some students were still seen going to schools on Monday.
The union, however, enjoined Governor Seyi Makinde to ensure public motor parks are quarantined while park managers must ensure alcohol-based hand sanitizers are administered to those boarding vehicles.
The Chairman, Ademola Babalola, had, on Sunday, set-up 11-man committee, headed by Oyebukola Oriowo, to ensure accurate reporting of COVID-19 preparedness and draw the attention of the task force on COVID-19 set up by the state government to areas ‘inadvertently neglected’ by the task force.
