COVID-19: Akeredolu orders total closure of markets

Mon, Mar 30, 2020
By publisher
2 MIN READ

Business

ONDO State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has ordered the immediate closure of all markets in the state from Tuesday, March 31st.

The order, according to Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo, was disobedient by residents of the state to an earlier part of the closure of markets as ways of stemming the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ojogo said the partial closure of markets across the state had excluded life-saving items such as food, water, and medicines.

He said the Governor was compelled by the infraction to place a total ban on all markets across the state with effect from Tuesday, 31st March 2020.

The Information Commissioner explained that the ban was irrespective of any item. and that the markets are to remain closed until further notice.

It was learned that the decision to order total closure of the markets was after the Interministerial Committee on the control of COVID-19 presented a report to Governor Akeredolu after its meeting on Monday.

At the meeting, the State Epidemiologist, Dr. Stephen Fagbemi, gave reasons why the state must be on total lockdown like other states.

Dr. Fagbemi noted that the proximity of Ondo State to Lagos makes it an easy place for COVID-19 to spread easily.

Fagbemi said the partial closure of markets would be failed to contain COVID-19 because the markets were still overcrowded.

He said it was time the state activated local government response social mobilisation for the people in the rural to understand the real problems of COVID-19.

He said, “Government needs to be more emphatic. We need to lockdown. We should reduce the way people move around.

“Another problem is that we don’t the proper addressing system. It is making it difficult for contact tracing. Let us lockdown rather than to lock down when are already overwhelmed.”

Other speakers at the meeting supported the need for total lockdown. – The Nation

– Mar. 30, 2020 @ 17:25 GMT |

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