The Ekiti State Government has warned that it might cancel the current relaxed lockdown over the disobedience by residents to the rules outlined to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
It also said the state government was not ready to reopen shut schools until there was convincing evidence that pupils, students and their teachers would be safe.
The Commissioner for Information, Muyiwa Olumilua, made these known in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday while giving an update on the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
He said government was no longer comfortable with the carefree manner that residents had been conducting themselves since it relaxed the lockdown a couple of weeks ago.
The commissioner threatened a return to total lockdown in the state except there was change in attitude by residents.
Olumilua said: “The state government will have no option than to return to lockdown season if the current recalcitrant attitude of not obeying interstate ban, social and physical distancing, mandatory use of face masks and hand sanitisers as well as other protocols persisted.
“It is not as if the governor is interested in inflicting hardship on Ekiti people.
“That was why he reopened economic activities between Mondays and Fridays to enable people pursue their means of livelihood.
“As of now, Ekiti has nine active cases and we are not happy with the way social distancing as well as use of hand sanitisers, face masks and infrared thermometers are being fragrantly disobeyed in public places.
“We are still maintaining the stand that banks, shops, shopping malls, eateries, market men and women must keep to all these guidelines to prevent community spread of COVID- 19 in Ekiti, but all of these are now being ignored.
“We only need to thank God that we are still at a stage where we have not had community spread because those who came to infect our people here came from outside the state.
“But should our people refuse to abide by the protocols as they are currently doing, we will be left with no other option than to return to lockdown to avert community spread.”
On reopening of schools, Olumilua said a committee comprising government officials, Parents Teachers’ Association and proprietors of schools was being mulled by Governor Kayode Fayemi to evolve recommendations that could facilitate easy return of students to schools.
He stated: “We are not in a hurry to reopen schools because we know that we have to provide all necessary facilities like running water, hand sanitisers and infrared thermometers in all schools in order not to endanger the lives of our pupils.
“The committee will soon begin work and their recommendations will be implemented to help in this regard.”
