The Ondo state government has explained the reasons why it totally shut down markets, malls, and shops in the state.
POLITICS NIGERIA recalls that the state authorities ordered that all shops except those dealing on essentials commodities like food, medicine, and water, to close for seven days as a precautionary measure against COVID 19 pandemic on March 24.
Mr. Donald Ojogo, Commissioner for Information and Orientation, in a press statement in Akure on Monday, explained that the gross abuse of the earlier directives necessitated the current order to shut the markets totally.
He said: “Government made it clear from the first directive, in respect of markets, those life-saving items like food, water and medicines were excluded from the order regulating crowds at the markets.
“However, that caveat appears to have been grossly abused.
“Nonetheless, the sales of those listed items like food, water and medicines will still suffice, but not in the congregational manner as it is in the markets.
“In other words, shops and supermarkets, as well as pharmacy stores selling these items, can still go about their normal businesses.
“But this must be in conformity with the regulations guiding social distancing and crowd control.
“Therefore, any shop or supermarket found to encourage unwholesome crowds in contravention of the regulations shall be closed down without delay by the monitoring team.”
It should be noted that Nigeria now has 131 cases of COVID-19 while two persons have died.
