Lagos suspends reopening of worship centres

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos state, has suspended the reopening of worship centers indefinitely.

The governor had earlier directed worship centres, which were shut over coronavirus pandemic, to reopen but under strict guidelines.

He had said while mosques would reopen on June 19, churches would resume activities on June 21.

But at a press briefing on Tuesday, the governor made a U-turn, saying worship centres should remain shut to check the spread of the virus.

The governor said this is as a result of the rising number of cases in the state.

“As at midnight yesterday, June 15, 2020, Lagos State had recorded a total of 7,319 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of this number, 1,137 have fully recovered and been discharged, while 82 have sadly died, leaving 6,100 active cases under management in the state,” he said.

“Our dear State therefore continues to be the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria, with about 44% of the total number of confirmed cases nationwide. Let me again say that the steady increase in number of confirmed cases is by no means unexpected. Considering that the infection is now very much in our midst, the more we test, the more the number of positive cases that will emerge.

“The uplifting news is that, based on the statistics emerging from Lagos State, more than 90 percent of the people who test positive will go on to fully recover under supervision, and be discharged. Dear Lagosians, in the most recent guidelines which we issued on the gradual easing of the lockdown, based on the advice of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, I noted that we would shortly be permitting the restricted opening of religious houses, on the condition of strict compliance with detailed guidelines issued by the Lagos State Safety Commission.

“We have been closely monitoring the situation since then, and have now concluded that we cannot proceed with any form of re-opening for places of worship in Lagos state, until further notice. This is not a decision that we have taken lightly, it is simply in line with our ongoing evaluation of evolving scenarios regarding the course of the infection in Lagos State and the corresponding public health advisory guidelines issued by the experts. So, let me say this again: we are now hereby suspending, with immediate effect, the plan to re-open religious houses and places of worship in Lagos State, until further notice.”