COVID-19 Lockdown: Abiodun exempts Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has, on Friday, declared the relaxation period for residents in the lockdown week for Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Abiodun, who made the announcement in Iperu, noted that the State residents will have a window of relaxation from the renewed 14-day lockdown in the State on Monday (20th April), Wednesday (22nd April) and Friday (24th April, 2020). The period of relaxation will be between the hours of 7am and 2pm on each of these days.

The governor maintained that to make the law effective, the state government had engaged the services of fashion designers to mass produce face mask, which will be distributed to market men and women, transporters and other people considered to be necessary.

“The period of relaxation will be between the hours of 7am and 2pm on each of these days. This means that citizens are expected to remain indoors tomorrow Saturday, April 18, 2020; Sunday, April 19, 2020; Tuesday, April 21, 2020 and Thursday, April 23rd, 2020 as period of the lockdown.

“I enjoin our people to scrupulously spend the window periods to restock on food items and conduct essential businesses during the period of the extended lockdown. We must understand that we cannot afford to be complacent or lower our guards, even as we maintain this delicate balance between people’s welfare and healthcare.

“We must only go out if there is need to do so. And even then, we must scrupulously use a face mask. For non-health workers, any face mask or shield made from local material or fabric that effectively covers nose and mouth is just appropriate. Also, people should use tissue when coughing or sneezing and dispose of the used tissue immediately. In the absence of clean tissue, cough or sneeze into your bent elbows.

“Let me also re-emphasise that while the window of relaxation is being observed, all interstate and international borders of our dear State will remain closed. As usual, all personnel on essential services will be given access to perform their duties. This window of relaxation of the lockdown will be reviewed from time to time.

The governor expressed displeasure that some people play politics with the outbreak of the pandemic.

“It is worrisome that at this critical time of a global pandemic, some individuals and groups would still play politics with lives of our people and public safety by concocting, fabricating and circulating misleading and mischievous stories and videos with sinister motive to undermine the efforts to flatten the curve of the coronavirus and the palliatives meant to cushion the effect of the lockdown on our people.

“This is uncharitable and inhuman, to say the least. Going forward, such misinformation capable of inciting the public and causing breach of peace will be met with the full weight of the law.

“In the same vein, I have news for those who may want to take advantage of the current situation to perpetrate any form of crime or criminality. Ogun State has zero tolerance for crimes. If you test our will, the government and the security agencies will be swift in apprehending you and severe in bringing you to justice. I call on parents and guardians to ensure the conduct and activities of their children and wards are in consonance with law, public morality and order,” he warned.