As the second phase of 14-day lockdown in Ogun State commences at 11.59pm on Friday, the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, during a press conference at his Iperu residence on Friday, approved a window of relaxation on Monday (20th April), Wednesday (22nd April) and Friday (24th April, 2020).
Great Achiever Magazine reports that the period of relaxation will be between the hours of 7am and 2pm on each of these days.
However, citizens are expected to remain indoors on Saturday, April 18, 2020; Sunday, April 19, 2020; Tuesday, April 21, 2020 and Thursday, April 23rd, 2020 as period of the lockdown.
Abiodun said: “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 explained that the first phase of the distribution of relief palliatives benefitted not less than 60,000 households, approximating 300,000 individuals, which has been successfully completed.
He said some lessons have been learnt from that experience and these will guide the next phase that will benefit additional 80,000 households of about 400,000 individuals, comprising of the elderly, the poor and vulnerable.
The governor assured that it is an on-going process that will ultimately reach 500,000 households or 3 million individuals.
Governor Abiodun expressed worry that at this critical time of a global pandemic, some individuals and groups would still play politics with lives of the 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 the people.
He said this is uncharitable and inhuman, to say the least. And, going forward, such misinformation capable of inciting the public and causing breach of peace will be met with the full weight of the law.
The governor warned that Ogun State has zero tolerance for crimes, while those who test the will of the government and the security agencies will be swiftly apprehended and brought to justice.
He called on parents and guardians to ensure that the conduct and activities of their children and wards are in consonance with law, public morality and order.
The governor, while appreciating the team that put in place the Digiclass, an online education platform which ensures continuity of teaching and learning during this period, has directed that the programme be extended further in view of the encouraging feedback he has been getting.
Abiodun enjoins the people to scrupulously spend the window periods to restock on food items and conduct essential businesses during the period of the extended lockdown.
He said: “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”.
