The Lagos States Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has reiterated the restriction order on religious and other mass gatherings in the state as cases of COVID-19 rise.
The situation at hand, Sanwo-Olu said, required reactivation of full compliance with all protective protocols already outlined by the State Government.
He said this while giving an update on the state of coronavirus in the state.
The Governor said there should be compulsory use of masks in all public places, while also directing social distancing, compulsory temperature checks, provisions for hand-washing and sanitizers, and maximum of 50 per cent occupancy in enclosed spaces.
Sanwo-Olu urged worship centres to be particularly vigilant, advising them not to be carried away by the illusion that all activities were back to normal.
He said: “It is understandable that many are tired and want their old, pre-pandemic lives to return. Unfortunately, we do not have a choice in this regard, and fatigue is not an option. We cannot afford to be tired, frustrated or distracted. Without the cooperation of the public at large, we stand the risks of losing both lives and livelihood, on a devastating scale.
“The enemy (COVID-19) is formidable and opportunistic. The pandemic will only go as far as we allow it. Having triumphed over the first and second waves, we must now find within ourselves new reserves of energy to quell this emerging third wave before it snowballs out of control.
“Greater vigilance is required at this time in our Churches and Mosques and other places of religious worship. Even as we are pleased that religious houses are now open for worship, after the lengthy closures of 6 2020, we must not allow ourselves to be carried away by the illusion that all is now back to normal. This is especially critical, as Sallah approaches, in a little over a week from now.
“The festivities will no doubt bring people together in large numbers and create conditions that can sadly cause the spread of the Coronavirus. We must not allow this to happen. For this reason, we are mandating full compliance with all protective protocols.
“Compulsory use of masks in all public places, Social distancing, temperature checks, provisions for hand-washing and sanitizers, and a maximum of 50 per cent occupancy in enclosed spaces.”
Sanwo-Olu, said the state is experiencing a steep increase in the number of daily confirmed COVID-19 cases. He said the test positivity rate went up from 1.1 per cent at the end of June 2021 to its current rate of 6.6 per cent as at July 8.
According to him, the rapid increase within a week gives cause for concern. He said within the last two weeks, the occupancy rate at the isolation centres increased from an average of one per cent to six per cent, a new and disturbing reality that now confronts the state.
“Fellow Lagosians, starting around the end of March 2021, the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Lagos State began to wind down, and we began to enjoy some reprieve from the worst effects of the virus.
“This allowed us to further open-up the economy to allow the start of the journey towards full normalcy in our lives and the pursuit of livelihoods, after what has been a very difficult year.
“Regrettably, in spite of the hard work and dedicated efforts towards sustaining the return to normalcy over the last three months, we are now finding ourselves at what appears to be the start of a potential third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Lagos State.
“From the beginning of July, we started to experience a steep increase in the number of daily confirmed cases, with the test positivity rate going from 1.1 per cent at the end of June 2021 to its current rate of 6.6 per cent as at 8th of July 2021.
“But we must not be demoralised by this. We must instead resolve that we will not leave any stone unturned in our bid to effectively mitigate the third wave of this pandemic in Lagos State,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He said the way COVID-19 was managed in the state had a significant impact and reverberating effect on the national outlook and outcomes.
The governor, which is also the Chief Incident Commander for COVID-19 cases in Lagos state, said that Nigeria is counting on Lagos State to be resolute in its stand against the virus.
”We will continue to test aggressively. We will also focus on sequencing the samples we are collecting to ensure we are detecting and keeping track of the different variants in circulation.
”It is only by testing and sequencing comprehensively that we can collect the data required for informed decision-making,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu said that as at July 7, Lagos State had recorded a total of 60,202 confirmed cases, of which 55,135 had recovered in-community and 770 are currently being managed actively in-community.
He said that over the course of managing the COVID-19 pandemic, about 4,382 patients had been admitted into the various COVID-19 care centres in Lagos, with 357 registered fatalities.
The governor said altogether, the state has tested 563,679 samples since the pandemic started, accredited 30 testing centres: 26 private and four public health laboratories, a significant improvement in capacity over the course of the past year.
