As Lagos state enters the second phase of ease of lockdown, Govenor Sanwo-Olu Babajide has said religious houses can open in two weeks time but members in attendance must not exceed 500 at each service.
Sanwo-Olu stated this while releasing fresh guidelines for the second phase of the ease of lockdown at Lagos House, Marina, Lagos on Thursday.
He said they should open at maximum of 40 per cent of their membership but any religious house with larger congregation where the number exceeds 500 at that percentage can have more than one service.
The religious houses are only to run Sunday services for churches and Friday Jumat for Muslims, but are barred from vigils and other weekly services.
The governor also said those below 15 years of age and above 65 years old should not be allowed into places of worship “because those within that age bracket are extremely very vulnerable to the pandemic”.
He also urged all religious houses to adhere strictly to safety measures like fumigating and keeping the premises clean, making sure worshipers wear face mask before entering, use of sanitiizer etc.
Adding that the Lagos State Safety Commission will not only register but will be going round to check level of compliance and that the state government has the discretion to stop or restrict worship where there is no compliance.
Sanwo-Olu said primary and secondary schools will remain shut because the government is still consulting with all stakeholders in the sector and will come out with guidelines for their re-opening in two weeks time, and that the on-line classes for tertiary institutions continue.
As from next Monday, according to the governor, civil servants on levels 13-14 can resume with their senior colleagues on level 15 and above, while levels 1-12 should wait.
All other guidelines are as announced by PTF on Monday and they include: curfew from 10p.m-4am, full re-opening of banks and other financial institutions, offices and busines places to operate from 7am-6pm; manufacturing companies permitted to do night shift but to make arrangement for movement of staff.
Hotels and hospitality businesses are also free to open while restaurants will open for take away services only, however, gyms, spas, cinema, event cents, nite clubs and all other such services remain closed and cross state journeys remain banned.
The governor admonished Lagosians to wear face mask always saying the level of compliance on wearing of face mask was not encouraging, adding, “let us self-regulate ourselves, regulate your conduct or government will regulate you.”
Sanwo-Olu also disclosed that the government will deploy 570 buses on the BRT corridor on various routes next week and that the buses are being cleared from the port.
Worship centres to reopen in Lagos June 19 – Sanwo-Olu
by Kayode Oyero
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State says worship centres in the state will be allowed to reopen, The PUNCH reports.
The governor stated this on Thursday during a briefing at the Government House, Marina.
He said mosques are to reopen from June 19 while churches are to begin services from June 21.
He said hotels are allowed to reopen while gyms, night clubs, and cinemas would still remain closed, adding that the decision to reopen them would be reviewed in the next two weeks.
Sanwo-Olu said, “There will now be restricted openings of religious houses based on compliance that we have seen and reviewed with the Safety Commission.
“From 14 days time, precisely on the 19th of June for our Muslim worshippers and from the 21st of June for our Christian worshippers, we will be allowing all of our religious bodies to open at a maximum of 40% of their capacity and we’ll be working with them as being expected by the Lagos State Safety Commission.
“But we know that these places of worship have different sizes but even if your 40% capacity is really so large, you cannot have beyond 500 worshippers at once, and keeping that maximum 40% capacity is really important.
“We will be encouraging people to have more than one service and ensure that they keep their premises clean, disinfect before another round of worship can take place.
“We will also be advising that there should only be mandatory Fridays and Sunday services. All other night vigils and services must be put on hold for now until we review our current situation.
“We will also be advising very strongly that persons below the age of 15 because of how well they walk around and difficult to hold down should be excused from the places of worship and citizens that are above the age of 65 should not be allowed into these places of worship.
“We will also advise that there should be no food sharing and communion from a common dish should be discouraged during this period.
“Sharing of kettles during ablution should be avoided, prohibited if possible.
“We also encourage the use of stationary collection boxes and electronic payments.”
The governor said religious leaders should ensure that worshippers wear face masks, maintain social distancing and high-level hygiene, noting that state government officials would visit churches and mosques unexpectedly and those found not complying would be dealt with.