Ekiti govt imposes curfew, bans public gathering of more than twenty

In a bid to curtail the spread of the second wave of coronavirus in Ekiti, the state government on Sunday imposed a curfew from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am.

The government also banned all gatherings of more than twenty people in the state until further notice.

The Commissioner for Information and Values Orientation, Hon Akinbowale Omole, who announced these new guidelines in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, said the restrictions take effect Monday at 6 am January 11, 2021.

Omole cited the alarming rate at which the deadly pandemic is spreading in Nigeria and elsewhere as the reason for these drastic steps.

He said there is a need for the government to be proactive and take decisive steps to secure the citizens from falling prey to the second wave of the pandemic that has claimed thousands of lives all over the world recently.

He urged the people to continue to observe the coronavirus protocols strictly and also abide by the curfew and new restrictions placed on public gatherings by the state government.

Hon Akinbowale Omole called on the people to ensure that they wear their nose masks properly, wash their hands with soap and use hand sanitiser regularly, as well as keep social distance to avoid contracting the virus.

Omole added that the curfew placed throughout the State from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am will be strictly enforced except for those that can prove that they are on essential services.

According to the Commissioner, there is also a ban on all public gatherings of more than twenty people while coronavirus prevention protocol should be strictly observed even in such gatherings.

He expatiated that, to allow faithfuls to observe their religious worships, the government allows for two services to take place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday accordingly and that all these services should not extend beyond 2:00 pm on such days.

He said that all worship centres are expected to provide necessary facilities for hand washing, soap, and hand sanitiser at the entrance and infra-red thermometers to take worshippers’ temperature before they are allowed in for service.

He added that the State Covid-19 Response Committee put in place by the Ekiti state government and other relevant enforcement agencies would be going round to ensure compliance with these directives and any person or group of persons caught violating the guidelines put in place to curtail the pandemic in the state will be prosecuted and sanctioned accordingly.

The Information Commissioner called on all top government functionaries both at the State and Local Government levels, Local Government Chairmen, traditional rulers, and law enforcement agencies not only to obey covid prevention protocols themselves but also to monitor compliance and report any violation to the Covid-19 Response Taskforce promptly.

Omole assured that Ekiti state government will continue to do all within its power to ensure that this second wave of the pandemic does not have a foothold in the state.