Ogun announces date to reopen religious centres, schools

The Ogun State Government has announced the tentative resumption of religious and academic activities, which had been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Governor Dapo Abiodun, in his address on Wednesday evening, said Risk Assessment Forms have been made available to public and private schools to evaluate the readiness for the adoption of the federal government’s declaration to allow SS3 students resume on August 4 to prepare for Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) which is to begin on August 17.

“A mandatory virtual training is also being organised for school staff on decontamination, medical equipment, toilet facilities, flexibility of closing times, and special requirements for boarding schools,” he said.

He announced that worship centres will tentatively reopen on August 14 on the condition that they adhere to the guidelines.

The guidelines include: the use of facemasks and hand sanitizers, social distancing, and the provision of medical, toilet and hygiene facilities.

Others are: Muslims should perform ablution at home and go to mosque with personal praying mats; certified medical personnel to check worshippers’ temperature before admittance to venues; handshakes, hugs and air conditioners to be avoided in all centres; provision of isolation rooms, as well as digital cameras to record services, in each centre.

He noted that duration of services should not be more than an hour and a half, while intervals in the case of multiples should be of the same duration.

“Large worship centres (with more than 200 worshippers in a given service) to further pursue concurrence with the State Government Committee, towards ensuring ventilation and effective entry and exit management procedure and the avoidance of item sharing during Holy Communion,” he added.

Speaking on the forthcoming Eid-el-Kabir celebration, he said congregational prayers and partying are prohibited owing to COVID-19 restrictions.

Mr Abiodun explained that all current measures and restrictions will remain in place for the general public.

As of the time of filing this report, the state has recorded a total 1,326 confirmed cases; out of which 1,068 have been discharged and 23 have died.