COVID-19: Oyo Lifts Curfew As Infection Rate Drops

The Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force, headed by Governor Seyi Makinde, has announced the cancellation of the 10pm curfew imposed on the state in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The governor explained that the state was not completely free of the virus but the situation had improved.

This is contained in a statement on Thursday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Taiwo Adisa.

The statement indicated that the curfew was abolished after a series of reviews.

It explained that the decision by the Governor 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.”

In all, the Task Force noted that a total of 15,700 COVID-19 tests had been conducted, with 3,118 confirmed cases and 37 fatalities.

The statement also said the governor had approved the move to convert the isolation centre in Awe to a primary health care centre.

The Task Force, however, specifically warned operators of night clubs to desist from accommodating persons in closed areas on their premises, adding that research had confirmed that the virus spreads faster when people cluster in closed venues.

The governor advised residents of the state to continue to comply with COViD-19 protocols.

The task force said, “The state “is not completely out of the woods with regards to COVID-19.”

The statement read, ” The governor has also approved the conversion of the Aawe Isolation Centre to a Level 3 Primary Health Care Centre (PHC), directing that the facility should be decontaminated and handed over to the Hospital Management Board.

“Similarly, the task force has approved that except for the Infectious Disease Centre, Olodo, Ibadan, other isolation centres in the state could be converted to Level 3 PHC.

“Whenever a spike in COVID-19 cases is noticed in the location where any of the facilities is situated, such a facility would be re-converted as an isolation centre or a part of it will be so utilized as an isolation centre.”

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr Funmi Salami, also hinted that there had been a spike in the cases of stroke among the elderly in the state largely due to being confined to their various homes in order to avoid COVID-19 infections.

The Task Force, therefore, approved that advisory messages on how to avoid stroke be rolled out through designated media outlets. 

The statement further said that the state is already designing an advisory guideline on voluntary compliance with COVID-19 protocols, while the Commissioner for Education, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, reiterated that concerted efforts have been made to ensure that schools complied with COVID-19 safety protocols upon resumption. 

The statement concluded that so far, the state has received donations in cash, agricultural goods and health equipment to the tune of N1.273 billion since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the state, while the governor appreciated everyone who supported the state in different ways during the pandemic.