Ogun State Announces August 14 For Schools, Worship Centers To Reopen

My dear people of Ogun State, It is 26 days that I last addressed you on our continued efforts towards fighting COVID-19. The scourge has not only redefined human relationship, but has drastically changed the face of social interactions, and, indeed, life and living, generally. For now, we are all adapting to a new normal that nobody can say if we will ever return fully to our old ways. Nevertheless, we cannot fold our arms and sit on the fence for things to further degenerate. We will always be ready to deploy resources, insight and our capabilities to live with this new normal and hope that by providence, we will get away with the scourge as soon as possible. 2. However, as of now, the best of projections and prognoses show that we are yet to reach the peak of transmission. The national figures are frightening. We have total confirmed cases of 41,804 as at Monday 28th July, 2020; 18,764 persons were treated and discharged. It is worrisome the number of fatalities continues to rise especially in the last 4 weeks. This has risen to 868. In our home State, it is also a fact that the number of cases of COVID-19 is on the upward swing, particularly in the last few weeks of the second phase of our ease of the restrictions and opening up of more sectors of our economy. As at the same 26th July, COVID-19 figures in Ogun State are: we have screened over 10,000; we have also tested 5,611 people; we have 1,318 confirmed cases; out of which 1, 054 have been successfully treated; but, I must also say that we have regrettable cases of 23 fatalities; while we still have 224 receiving medical attention. We will continue to intensify efforts and enlarge our screening capacity so that we can identify infected people for prompt treatment and resultantly flatten the curve. 3. We must admit that by available statistics, community transmission of the pandemic is increasing on daily basis. What makes it more worrisome is that many carriers are asymptomatic and this is putting our public health and safety at a higher risk, thus demanding that we must take personal responsibility. To this end, I urge our people to continue to take personal responsibility by adhering to the precautionary measures as enunciated by the World Health Organisation, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and the National Centre for Disease Control. We should ensure personal compliance and that of our loved ones. 4. You will recall that I mentioned in my last address that we were yet to commence full reopening of the economy. Our approach to full reopening is gradual. Our dear State’s economy cannot afford a reversal of the gains to stem the tide of community spread and we need to prepare more for the post-COVID-19 era. The fact is that while we continue to provide conducive environment for the individual prosperity of all our people, we will also continue to put measures in place to ensure and guarantee their wellbeing, welfare and wellness in this COVID-19 period and at all times. I must say that this is the kernel of the implementation of the “Building our Future Together” Agenda. 5. In the last few weeks, two important subjects have pervaded public discourse as it concerns Ogun State and COVID-19. They border on reopening of schools and the reopening of worship centres. These two subjects have peculiar importance to us as a Government. The education sector has not only been one of the biggest industries in our dear State, and there is no gainsaying that we are the education capital of Nigeria. We also are homes to the biggest worship centres of the two major religions in Nigeria: Islam and Christianity. Here is where people come from different parts of the nation and even from all over the world to worship God in truth and in spirit. 6. On education, we appreciate the fact that only properly prepared and equipped youth of today will take the advantages and benefits of the future we are building. Education is a major pillar upon which we hope to build a better future for our children and grand children. We appreciate its importance so much that even in the heat of the COVID and its effects, we were the first to organise e-classes through the Ogun digiclass to keep our students safe whilst engaging in their studies and ensuring that learning continues. 7. However, we also appreciate the fact that we need to make these students physically available, especially to sit for external examinations which are not peculiar to our country alone. In this direction, we have put in place a multi-dimensional approach towards ensuring that our students resume learning in a safe and healthy environment. Our fear is that children are mostly asymptomatic even as carriers. These asymptomatic carriers might go back home after contracting the virus innocently and the transmission continues to their parents,