Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, says COVID-19 third wave has hit the state.
In an address on Sunday, he directed that religious, event centers, and other enclosed places are to henceforth operate at 50 percent capacity.
He said since the end of March 2021, the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Lagos began to wind down.
The governor regretted that in spite of the hard work and dedicated efforts towards sustaining the return to normalcy, the state is finding itself at the start of a potential third wave.
Sanwo-Olu said between 8th May 2021 and 7th July 2021, a total of 50,322 passengers of interest arrived in Lagos via the Murtala Mohammed Airport.
About 18 percent could not be reached by EKOTELEMED because of the provision of either wrong numbers or wrong Nigerian contact details to be reached on.
“It is the responsibility of passengers to ensure they provide the right details for us to reach them for proper monitoring”, he noted.
Passengers that do not provide the right details, including a phone number they can be reached for monitoring and an address for isolation, will be penalized.
Sanctions are being recommended and have already been meted out to defaulters: For foreigners: revocation of their permanent residency, and deportation; For Nigerians: prosecution with the Lagos COVID-19 Law.
Sanwo-Olu noted that greater vigilance is now required at churches, mosques, and other places of religious worship.
“We must not allow ourselves to be carried away by the illusion that all is now back to normal. This is especially critical, as Sallah approaches, in a little over a week from now.”
The governor announced full compliance with all protective protocols from today.
He mentioned compulsory use of masks in all public places, social distancing, temperature checks, provisions for hand-washing and sanitizers, and a maximum of 50 percent occupancy in enclosed spaces.
