COVID-19: Ekiti imposes curfew, bans gathering of more than 20 persons

The Ekiti State Government has imposed a curfew from 8.00 pm to 6.00 am while banning all gatherings of more than twenty persons in the state until further notice as part of measures to stop further spread of Covid-19.

The restrictions, according to the government take effect from Monday, January 11, 2021.

The Commissioner for Information and Values Orientation, Mr Akin Omole, who announced the new guidelines in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday in a statement cited, “the alarming rate at which the second wave of COVID-19 is spreading in Nigeria and elsewhere as the reason for these drastic steps.”

He said there was the need for the government to be proactive and take decisive steps to protect the citizens from falling prey to the second wave of the pandemic that has claimed thousands of lives all over the world.

He urged the people to continue to observe the Covid-19 protocols of wearing of face masks, maintaining social distancing strictly and also abide by the curfew and new restrictions placed on public gatherings by the government.

Omole added that the curfew placed throughout the state would be strictly enforced, “except for those that can prove that they are on essential services.”

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 the new directives, “and any person or group of persons caught violating the guidelines put in place to curtail the pandemic in the state will be prosecuted and sanctioned accordingly.” (Nigerian Tribune)