In a bid to curtail the spread of the deadly pandemic coronavirus, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has directed that all none essential commodities markets be closed down from 5 pm Thursday, March 26th, 2020. Those allowed to open for business are markets for foodstuff, medicine, medical equipment and water.
This action, according to him, is to ensure that that citizens in the state observe the social distancing practice among other measures.
The Governor’s directive was contained in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Yinka Oyebode and made available to Journalists In Ado-Ekiti, on Wednesday. The statement directs all medicine stores that are open to the public to make sure they do not sell or display any other items whatsoever, while those selling foodstuffs should not display or sell anything outside foodstuffs. Similarly, the Governor has appealed to commercial drivers and the leadership of NURTW and RTEAN in the state to reduce the outrageous fares being charged commuters, mainly students who have been returning home in their numbers following the closure of schools in the state. Pharmacy stores are also urged not to hike the prices of essential drugs. Meanwhile, members of the public are reminded of the ban on gatherings that are above 20 persons either for social, communal or religious purposes as a monitoring and enforcement task force have been dispatched across the state. The Governor urged all citizens in the state to join hands with the government and its agencies in the collective war against the coronavirus. Ekiti APC closes secretariat for 14 days Meanwhile, the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress has closed down its State Secretariat for 14 days to help in stemming the tide of Coronavirus in the state. A statement by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Hon Ade Ajayi, on Wednesday, said the closure became inevitable to help Governor Kayode Fayemi find a lasting solution to the spread of the scourge. The party appealed to Ekiti residents to comply with the directive by Fayemi not to hold any gathering more than 20 persons in every home, church, mosque and other public institutions. “The temporary closure will last for two weeks as agreed by the Central Working Committee members of the APC State Exco. “During this period, we also place a ban on party rallies, ward meetings and other political gatherings until further notice. “We urge our party members to maintain social distancing and personal hygiene during this critical period”, APC advised. The party commended Governor Fayemi for taking proactive measures to contain Covid-19, saying this has helped in taming the spread of the pandemic. “The prompt closure of all private and public institutions was right. We stand by Governor Fayemi and all the decisions he had taken since Ekiti recorded the first victim. “The governor being a humanist that is passionate about the wellbeing and development of humanity resolved to shut all institutions and also directed that all civil servants must work from home with assurances that their salaries will be paid despite this development”