The Ekiti State Government has imposed a curfew from 8 pm to 6 am to check rising COVID-19 cases in the state.
This is just as it banned any public gathering of more than 20 people.
Commissioner for Information and Values Orientation, Hon Akinbowale Omole, announced the new guidelines in the state capital Ado-Ekiti on Sunday.
He said the new guidelines take effect from Monday, January 11.
According to him, the state government needed to be proactive and take decisive steps to secure the citizens from falling prey to the second wave of the pandemic.
Omole stressed the importance of residents of the state strictly complying with COVID-19 protocols, including wearing of face mask, regular handwashing with soap and hand sanitiser, observing social distancing and others.
Read Also: COVID-19: Ortom goes into self-isolation as top aide, entire family test positive
He explained that the state government would strictly enforce the curfew, adding that only essential workers would be permitted to move around.
According to the Commissioner, there is also a ban on all public gatherings of more than twenty people while COVID-19 prevention protocol should be strictly observed even in such gatherings.
He expatiated that, to allow faithful to observe their religious worship, the government allows for two services to take place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday accordingly and that all these services should not extend beyond 2.00 pm on such days.
He re-emphasised that all worship centres were expected to provide necessary facilities for hand washing, soap, and hand sanitiser at the entrance and infra-red thermometers to take worshippers’ temperature before they are allowed in for service.
He added that the State COVID-19 Response Committee put in place by Ekiti State Government and other relevant enforcement agencies would be going round to ensure compliance with these directives and any person or group of persons caught violating the guidelines put in place to curtail the pandemic in the state would be prosecuted and sanctioned accordingly.
The commissioner called on all top government functionaries both at the State and Local Government levels, Local Government Chairmen, traditional rulers, and law enforcement agencies not only to obey COVID prevention protocols themselves but also to monitor compliance and report any violation to the COVID-19 Response Taskforce promptly.
Omole assured that Ekiti State Government would continue to do all within its power to ensure that this second wave of the pandemic does not have a foothold in the state.