Clement Adeyi, Osogbo
Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola has called on the people of the state to maintain compliance with the government’s stay-at-home order as a part of efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, a pandemic that has claimed over 110,000 lives around the world.
The governor also warned against flouting the order, stating that anyone found in breach would face the wrath of the law.
Mr Oyetola stated this at the weekend against the backdrop of a report that some residents, notably petty traders, marketers, shop owners, transporters, including okada riders sneak out in the evenings to go about their normal businesses.
“There is a law in place to ensure compliance with the lockdown. Anybody caught flouting it will certainly face the wrath of the law. Those breaking it by coming out in the evening and transporters picking passengers from one destination to the other need to understand that the stay-at-home order is in the interest of all of us,” he stressed.
“We are not happy that the lockdown is in place, but that is the right thing to do for now to avoid contracting the deadly virus,” he added.
Oyetola said that the lockdown would be sustained and reviewed as the coronavirus situation unfolds.
“We will sustain the success of our efforts by ensuring that the lockdown is sustained for the first two weeks. Then we can review it. We have not relaxed it. The lockdown is still on. We must sustain it, we have not relaxed it,” he stressed.
While allaying fears of interstate transmission of the pandemic between Osun and Kwara as well as other states that share an immediate boundary with it, the governor said: “We shall continue to ensure monitoring of the boundary closure through the committed efforts of the security agencies to enforce the movement restrictions.”
Oyetola disclosed that 10 of the 17 Ivory Coast returnees who had tested positive for the virus had tested negative twice according to the Nigeria Centre for Diseases Control (NCDC) and had been discharged, while the remaining seven are responding to treatment and would soon be discharged to be with their families.