The State Government of Osun has announced that it would shut down any market in the state that refuses to comply with the guidelines to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs Funke Egbemode, after the Virtual State Executive Council meeting held on Monday, August 10, 2020, the government expressed concerns over the level of non-compliance in the markets in the state.
Egbemode said: “With the increased efforts of the Enforcement Team, the State Government has noted a significant improvement in the level of compliance with the safety guidelines against COVID-19 among individuals. Unfortunately, our markets remains a source of worry. The government is deeply concerned that our market women and men have largely been non-compliant that the same degree improvement is absent in our markets.
“There has been a lot of advocacies and sensitization programmes about the virus, specifically targeted at market operators, but there has been resistance to the guidelines in that quarter.
“The government has therefore ordered that enforcement be scaled up in the various markets across the State in the next few hours, and where flagrant disregard for safety protocols are observed, such markets should be shut immediately.
“We understand the importance of the markets, but we cannot continue to condone abuse of safety protocols considering the increase in the number of confirmed cases”, Egbemode explained.
She also addressed the misgivings in some quarters of the public about the impossibility of a re-infection, stating that there have been a few cases of re-infection in the State.
Egbemode continued: “Council also discussed the issues of COVID-19 reinfection. The fact that a patient had been successfully managed and discharged before does not remove the chances of a re-infection.
“As a matter of fact, re-infection is real and can be very dangerous on the second count. We have had a few instances of those who were successfully managed in April who have been re-admitted again having tested positive the second time. So, we urge our people to be careful and follow the guidelines put in place to curb the spread of the corona virus.
“The government has continued to spend money and expend efforts in equipping our Isolation centres. There is need for our citizens to continue to do what is right and needful, as directed by the State Government and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control”, she stated.
Egbemode assured citizens of the commitment of the Oyetola-led government towards ensuring that the people remain safe while working to rid the State of the pandemic .
