Ogun warns ahead of Aug 14 worship centres’ reopening

Worship centres are to reopen for services in Ogun State on August 14, Governor Dapo Abiodun said on Wednesday.

But he said the date is tentative.

Worship centre were shut in March by the Federal Government as part of measures to contain the spread of Coronavirus.

The Gateway State is host to The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG); the Living Faith Church Worldwide (aka Winners Chapel); Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM) and Deeper Christian Life Ministry, NASFAT, among others.

According to the governor, measures were being put in place to ensure that protocols for preventing the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in schools and worship centres.

Prince Abiodun, who made the announcement while addressing the state on the pandemic, warned that any worship centre that fails to follow all the guidelines would be sanctioned. Even the holy books stipulate obedience to constituted authorities, the governor said.

Some of the measures put in place include mandatory wearing of face masks, sitting two meters apart, provision of hand washing facilities and worship duration of not more than one and half hours.

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Others are: ablution must be done from home and worshipers must take their personal praying mats, adequate provision of running water and sanitising of the premises before and after each service, among others.

He said: “We urge our religious leaders to ensure that they abide by the measures mutually agreed upon and rolled out.

“As government, we will not hesitate to impose severe sanctions, including, but not limited to, lockdown on any worship centre that fails to comply with the laid down guidelines.

“It is important to note that all religions make provision for obedience to God and the authorities of the land.

“Wearing of face masks in the public is now compulsory. Therefore, I hereby invoke powers conferred on me by Regulation 7 of the Infectious Diseases (Emergency Prevention) Regulations No. 2 of 2020 (the Regulations), made pursuant to Section 33 of the Public Health Law of Ogun State (the Law), to mandate the compulsory wearing of face masks by all persons in public as part of measures to prevent the rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).

“Failure to do so is punishable by up to six months imprisonment under Regulation 8 of the Regulations and Section 68 of the Law.”

He lamented that the spread of the dreadful virus in Ogun State has been on the “upswing” in the last two weeks, saying that asymptomatic nature of carriers has worsened the situation.

“As at the same 26th July, COVID-19 figures in Ogun State are: we have screened over 10,000; we have also tested 5,611 people; we have 1,318 confirmed cases; out of which 1, 054 have been successfully treated; but, I must also say that we have regrettable cases of 23 fatalities; while we still have 224 receiving medical attention.

“We will continue to intensify efforts and enlarge our screening capacity so that we can identify infected people for prompt treatment and resultantly flatten the curve.

“We must admit that by available statistics, community transmission of the pandemic is increasing on daily basis. What makes it more worrisome is that many carriers are asymptomatic and this is putting our public health and safety at a higher risk, thus demanding that we must take personal responsibility.

“To this end, I urge our people to continue to take personal responsibility by adhering to the precautionary measures as enunciated by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). We should ensure personal compliance and that of our loved ones.

“It is in our collective interest to fully comply with the guidelines so that, together, we can further flatten the curve of this pandemic.”