UPDATED: Sanwo-Olu makes U-turn, stops reopening of churches, mosques over COVID-19 spread

Ayodele Olalere

Lagos State governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday, made a U-urn on the planned reopening of Churches and Mosques in the state.

The governor, in a state wide briefings at the State House, Marina, said the proposed opening of the religious houses earlier schedule for June 19 and 21, has now been suspended until further notice.

According to the governor, rising cases of Covid-19 in the state necessitated the new development.

“Our dear state continues to be the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria, with about 44% of the total number of confirmed cases nationwide.
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 governor said.

“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.
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.

“Therefore, until further notice, all places of worship in Lagos State will remain closed. Social and events centers, and social clubs, will also remain closed, for now.

Let me make this clear, that we are now fully in the phase of personal responsibility, regarding this pandemic. This means that, while the government maintains its responsibility to take protective decisions for the common good, what will ultimately save us all and defeat this virus are the sensible personal decisions that we take on a daily basis. 

Decisions to use masks anytime you are out of your house, to avoid non-essential travel, to stay at home when we don’t have any business being outside, to wash or sanitize our hands regularly, these are the simple but necessary steps that will save and protect us all. “

He promised the government would continue to take measures to protect the lives of Lagosians.

“As a government, we will continue to do everything in our power to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the people, but that can only be effective when the people themselves act responsibly, and do not behave in a manner that undermines public health guidelines and puts the society at risk.”