Edo govt eases coronavirus curfew to 12am-5am

The Edo State government on Friday, March 26, 2021, reviewed the 10 pm to 5 am curfew earlier imposed in the state to check COVID-19.

The curfew is now to run between 12 am and 5 am.

Phillip Shaibu, the deputy governor of the state, disclosed this to journalists at a press briefing in Benin City.

Shaibu said the reports by the state’s COVID-19 task force and positive indicators recorded informed their decision to review the measures to curtail the viral disease.

He also directed civil servants to resume the regular working hours but with strict observance and compliance to all COVID-19 protocols, including observing social distancing, compulsory use of face masks, and regular hand washing.

“Since December 2020, we have had to confront the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a government committed to ensuring the health and safety of our people, we deployed coordinated strategies with measures to break the chain of transmission and contain.

“We are happy to announce that we have recorded remarkable success in the management of the pandemic as our indicators have improved. For example, the case positivity rate has drastically dropped from over 23.1% to 1% fatality rate and has relatively been stable. Active cases have continued to reduce and now stand at 37, as our hospitals and isolation facilities are almost empty.

“We are witnessing a steady rise in COVID-19 recoveries, and the government has intensified the rollout of vaccination of eligible members of the public against this deadly virus, with over 16, 328 persons vaccinated in the first eight days of the vaccine rollout in Edo State."