Lagos State Government on Tuesday said that it can no longer proceed with any form of re-opening for places of worship in the State, until further notice following steady increase in number of confirmed cases of the dreaded COVID-19.
The Lagos state government had earlier announced its plan to re-open mosques on June 19 and churches on June 21 on the condition of strict compliance with detailed guidelines by the State Safety Commission.
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Governor of Lagos State and Incident Commander of COVID-19, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu during his 15th update on coronavirus explained that the decision to stop the earlier planned re-opening of mosques and churches was in line with the ongoing evaluation of evolving scenarios regarding the course of the infection in the State and the corresponding public health advisory guidelines issued by the experts.
“We are now hereby suspending, with immediate effect, the plan to re-open religious houses and places of worship in Lagos State, until further notice.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely, and continue to base our decision-making on data modelling as well as on the responsibility we have to act in a manner that ensures the protection of all of you the people of Lagos State.
“Therefore, until further notice, all places of worship in Lagos State will remain closed. Social and event centres, and social clubs, will also remain closed, for now,” he said.
According to the governor, as at midnight of Monday, June 15, 2020, Lagos State had recorded a total of 7,319 confirmed cases of COVID-19, out of which 1,137 have fully recovered and been discharged, while 82 have died, leaving 6,100 active cases under management in the State.
“Our dear State therefore continues to be the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria, with about 44% of the total number of confirmed cases nationwide.
“Let me again say that the steady increase in number of confirmed cases is by no means unexpected.
“Considering that the infection is now very much in our midst, the more we test, the more the number of positive cases that will emerge.
“The uplifting news is that, based on the statistics emerging from Lagos State, more than 90 percent of the people who test positive will go on to fully recover under supervision, and be discharged,”
“Let me make this clear, that we are now fully in the phase of personal responsibility, regarding this pandemic.
“This means that, while the government maintains its responsibility to take protective decisions for the common good, what will ultimately save us all and defeat this virus are the sensible personal decisions that we take on a daily basis.
“Decisions to use masks anytime you are out of your house, to avoid non-essential travel, stay at home when we don’t have any business being outside, wash or sanitize our hands regularly.
“These are the simple but necessary steps that will save and protect us all,” he stressed.
While he thanked all those at the frontlines of the response to the pandemic, in the public and private sector; he assured that government will continue to do everything to safeguard the health and well-being of the people.
