With effect from Monday, the Osun State Government says it will begin enforcement of stronger punitive measures, which will include the deployment of Mobile Courts and imposition of fines on defaulters and more stringent enforcement exercises by the Joint Task Force on COVID-19.
The State Government said this in a Public Notice made available to The Eagle Online by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Funke Egbemode.
According to the Public Notice, hotels, clubs and bars that flout COVID-19 safety protocols shall be closed and fined N250,000 before they can be reopened.
Defaulting worship centres shall be closed and fined N100,000 before they can reopen, the Public Notice said.
Private Hospitals caught treating COVID-19 patients shall have their establishments shut and the owners’ practising license withdrawn.
Individuals who flout the safety protocols of the State Government, after being tried, shall be sentenced to community service. M
The Public Notice said motorcycles that exceed approved loading capacity shall be seized and fined N2,000.
Buses and mini-buses that violate the approved loading capacity shall be seized and fined N5,000.
The Public Notice added: “Having examined the rising figures of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the State in recent times, the State Government of Osun is worried that in spite of the various measures taken to ensure the safety of its citizens, some individuals and institutions have continued to aid the spread of the virus through their flagrant disregard for government’s guidelines.”