The Nigerian government has lifted restrictions placed on religious gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic.
The previous ban on religious and social gatherings was placed on Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial center, Abuja, its capital city, and Ogun state by President Muhammadu Buhari in March.
But during a televised briefing on Monday, the Chairman of Nigeria’s Presidential Task Force, or PTF, on Covid-19, Boss Mustapha announced that mosques, churches, and hotels are now free to open with certain conditions.
Worshippers must wear face masks, maintain social distancing and properly wash or sanitize their hands before joining their congregation.
Hotels are also to maintain the same interventions and limit the capacity of guests they allow in.
Restaurants, bars and other social gatherings are to remain closed. Also, schools are yet to be opened and interstate travel is still banned.
With more than 10,500 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of June 2, the task force on COVID-19 says Nigeria is yet to reach the “peak” of the virus, citing higher cases in Europe and South America.
All decisions made in relation to coronavirus response are based on the thorough assessment of PTF on Covid-19, according to Mustapha
Some of the recommendations made by the PTF to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as religious institutions and hotels open up include: managed access to markets and locations of economic activity to limit the risk of transmitting COVID-19, mandatory use of face masks and temperature checks in public places, and information campaigns on the dangers of the virus among others.
