3rd September, 2020
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has cancellation the 10 p.m. curfew imposed on the state in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Makinde announced the cancellation of the curfew on Thursday.
Taiwo Adisa, chief press secretary to the governor, in a statement, said that the decision was taken at a meeting of the task force held on August 31, 2020, which was presided over by the governor.
He added that the task force has warned operators of night clubs to desist from accommodating persons in closed areas within their premises, adding that research has confirmed that the virus spreads faster when people cluster in closed venues.
According to the statement, an advisory would be sent to night clubs owners by the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) arm of the task force, to warn operators not to allow guests into their enclosed areas.
The statement further indicated that the task force issued another warning to residents of the state to continue to follow the Own Your Action initiative of the state’s COVID-19 task force, as, according to the task force, the state “is not completely out of the woods with regard to COVID-19.”
It explained that the decision by the Makinde-led task force to abolish the curfew was premised on the need to reduce the burden on business owners in the state, whom, it said, has been affected by the curfew, especially since the COVID-19 situation has begun to improve in the state.
According to the task force, though it appeared that COVID-19 cases are coming down in the state, “the confidence interval could not be determined yet.”
It warned residents of the state not to jettison the guidelines on the prevention of the virus, including washing of hands, social distancing, and the use of masks.
The statement also said that Mr Makinde has directed the EOC not to relent in data gathering and analysis in order to appropriately situate the context of the virus within the state.