Following the rising cases of coronavirus, the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Mallam Muhammad Bello, has ordered that all bars, restaurants, leisure gardens, and event centres should be shut for five weeks.
He also directed that informal and formal festivity events, including weddings, conferences, congresses, office parties, concerts, seminars, sporting activities, and end of year events are restricted to not more than 50 persons.
Rising from an emergency COVID-19 meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, the minister equally directed that Churches and Mosques should not have more than 50 per cent worshippers, noting that social distancing and mandatory use of face masks and hand hygiene was to be strictly enforced.
Bello stated;
Enforcement teams have been mandated to carry out the arrest of violators and prosecute them through the mobile courts’ system.
This was contained in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the minister, Anthony Ogunleye, titled, ‘FCTA issues new guidelines on controlling the spread of COVID-19 in the territory’.
It reads;
All bars, night clubs, pubs, events and recreational venues in the FCT are to remain closed for the next five weeks; all restaurants, except those providing services to hotel residents; takeaways, home deliveries and drive-ins are to remain closed; informal and formal festivity events including weddings, conferences, congresses, office parties, concerts, seminars, sporting activities, end of year events etc, in the FCT are restricted to not more than 50 persons.
Facilities for religious events are restricted to less than 50 per cent of the capacity of use during which physical distancing, mandatory use of face masks and hand hygiene is to be strictly enforced.
He added;
Events of more than 50 persons are to be held outdoors only and virtual meetings are strongly encouraged; public transportation systems are to carry passengers not more than 50 per cent of their capacity in compliance with social distancing rules.
The minister said employees of the FCT Administration and the six Area Councils on Grade Level 12 and below are to work from home for the next five weeks, adding that heads of the various Secretariats, Departments and Agencies are responsible for compliance.
The administration also directed all schools in the FCT to remain on vacation until January 18, 2021.
It admonished residents above 60 years with hypertension and diabetes to stay indoors and avoid non-essential travels within and outside the FCT.
