Lagos state lists conditions that must be met by churches, mosques before reopening

The Lagos State Government has introduced some measures and conditions that must be met/fulfiled by all religious centres and places of worships that are planning to reopen, following further relaxation of lockdown.

These measures were contained in a press statement that was issued by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and seen by Nairametrics.

READ: Malabu Scandal: Netherland, Switzerland to send $200 million to Nigeria

Nairametrics had reported that the Lagos State Governor on Saturday, August 1, during his 17^th briefing on the state’s COVID-19 response, announced the reopening of worship centres with effect from August 7th. Now, the Lagos State Government has specified that the following conditions must be met for worship centres that are planning to open;

• Only regular services/gatherings are permitted to hold. Night vigils and other non-regular programmes remain prohibited until further notice.
• Attendees above 65 years are strongly discouraged from attending worship services.
• Consider holding services and gatherings in large, well-ventilated areas or outdoors, as circumstances and faith tradition allow.
• No face mask, no entry policy, must be maintained throughout the duration of the services.
• Regular cleaning and disinfection of facilities must be carried out to maintain clean and hygienic environments before and after every service.
• Appropriate screening equipment for COVID-19 symptoms such as a contactless temperature check must be available for entrants into the facility.
• It is mandatory to provide hand-washing facilities and sanitizers at the entry and exit point of the premises.
• National emergency response phone lines must be displayed prominently on the premises.
• Handshakes, hugs and high fives are not permitted at services or gatherings and this should be emphasized by displaying appropriate signs prominently.
• The use of stationary collection boxes and electronic methods for collection of the offering must be encouraged.
• The flow of human traffic in and out of these places of worship must be conducted in an organized and orderly manner.

READ MORE: Lagos sets up N1 billion seed capital for hospitality sector, rolls out optical fibre across the state

The Governor urged Lagosians to fully comply with the measures outlined in the new regulations, stressing that Lagos State Safety Commission has a statutory responsibility to monitor the activities and operations of all organizations and worship centres that have been permitted to re-open.

*COVID-19* : Measures taken by the Lagos State Government to further relax the lockdown.@jidesanwoolu @drobafemihamzat @gbenga_omo @gboyegaakosile @Mr_JAGss#LASG #ForAGreaterLagos #LagosAgainstCovid19 pic.twitter.com/0t8ti49wYz

— The Lagos State Govt (@followlasg) August 2, 2020