JUST IN: Sanwo-Olu Says Lagos Will Impose Another Lockdown If…

Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said the state may be forced to review the lockdown easing if flouting of public health directives by residents persist.

President Muhammadu Buhari had eased the five-week lockdown he imposed on Lagos, Ogun and Abuja to check the spread of COVID-19.

But there have been complaints of non-adherence to the guidelines of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), particularly on social distancing, since Monday when residents were partially allowed to move freely.

Speaking during the first briefing after the ease of a five-week lockdow, Sanwo-Olu said: “another round of interminable lockdown of movement and business activities” would be introduced if there is no improvement in the adherence to the guidelines initiated to break the cycle of transmission of the dreaded virus.

The Government, he said, was surprised, watching residents going about their businesses in the last five days after the ease of lockdown without complying with the public health guidelines despite massive campaign.

Sanwo-Olu said the crowd observed at various banks and markets across the state flouted the public gathering directive, noting that the government would not watch while people violate the State’s guidelines towards combating the pandemic.

The governor also decried the flouting of capacity restrictions outlined in our framework Yellow Buses on the first day, saying “While compliance has improved in subsequent days, it is still not encouraging”

He said “Many commercial motorcycle operators openly and indiscriminately defied the suspension.

” The ban on Inter-state travel except for essential goods and services was also consistently flouted. In many cases people decided to make the final leg of the journey into the State on foot, to beat the
restrictions.

” Trucks and other vehicles carrying items designated as essential, have also played major roles in flouting the guidelines, by conspiring to conceal and smuggle people in and out of the State”

The governor also bemoan the lack of total compliance with mask usage saying “Many people are still choosing to go out without masks or face coverings of any kind. This is simply unacceptable.”

Sanwo-Olu said that the success of this gradual easing of the lockdown was dependent upon the compliance of “each and every one of us”

“As a Government elected to uphold security of its citizens, which include health security, we will not hesitate to review the terms of the easing of lockdown if we do not see an improvement in adherence to our public health guidelines in the next couple of days,” he said.

“We will be forced to take a painful decision of bringing the entire system under lockdown if we continue to see evidence that Lagosians are determined to flout the rules.

“As we eased restrictions on movement, we have increased our testing capacity and we are also actively increasing our isolation capacity. Members of the public will also see a change in our isolation strategy in the weeks ahead, as we transition towards decentralisation.

“What this means is that, we will be introducing community management of cases, by accrediting and incorporating primary healthcare facilities and private healthcare facilities for the management of mild-to-moderate cases of COVID-19 patients. However, we will guide this initiative carefully to ensure that it is not done at the expense of the capacity required to handle other medical cases.”

Sanwo-Olu said the state government’s order restricting the operation of commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada, had been defied, directing the police to confiscate any commercial motorcycle seen flouting his directive.

The governor also instructed security personnel to strictly enforce the ban on inter-state movement, directing the police to turn back all pedestrians trekking to Lagos from boundary highways.

“We are at a critical point in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic where every citizen of the State needs to take responsibility for their health and wellbeing,” he said.

“As citizens, we have a great burden upon us, to behave responsibly. These times demand a lot from us, in terms of actions and behaviours that may not be comfortable. To stay alive and well, we have to abandon old habits and customs, and adopt new ones.”

The governor said there would be a change in the dtate’s isolation strategy in the coming weeks, pointing out that Lagos was transiting towards decentralisation of management of COVID-19 cases, which would lead to the accreditation and incorporation of primary healthcare facilities and private hospitals for the treatment of mild-to-moderate cases.

The governor, however, lauded some sectors and businesses that ensured strict compliance with the guidelines on public health.

He said “We have seen our manufacturing and construction companies gradually ease back into operation. We are happy with the level of compliance in this sector, as well as the beneficial impact of this limited resumption on our economy.

” In the case of our intra-state commuting, and particularly with our BRT and LBSL Buses, and water transport operations, substantial compliance with the carriage policy of no more than 60 percent of maximum capacity was recorded. Markets and Mechanic Villages also demonstrated significant compliance”

The governor also commended market leaders for the effort they put in towards making sure compliance was achieved.

“In terms of open markets and stores, our directive was that food and farm produce markets will open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, while markets dealing in other items will open on Mondays,

” Wednesdays and Fridays. We have seen high levels of compliance in this regard, as well as in the maintenance of physical distancing and the use of face masks in the markets.

” I must specially thank the leadership of our Market Associations, led by the Iyaloja and President-General, for the effort they have put into compliance”