Nigeria: Lagos governor suspends reopening of worship centers

Governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-olu has suspended the reopening of worship centers in Lagos State, earlier planned to begin from June 19, until further notice, according to a news report by This Day.

On June 4, the state had said that mosques and churches would be opened on Friday, June 19, and Sunday, June 21 respectively.

Announcing the suspension of the reopening of places of worship at a press briefing Tuesday, the governor hinged the decision on the rising cases of COVID-19 in the state.

Lagos, with the highest COVID-19 burden in Nigeria, has 7,319 confirmed cases, 6,100 are currently on admission, 1,137 have been discharged, while 82 have died.

The governor said, "I want to inform you that we will not be proceeding with the reopening of places of worship as been said earlier for the 19th and the 21st. We will be suspending it until further notice.

"We've critically had to have a thorough, thorough review of where we are as a state and our condition. Our review indicates that we needed to suspend that attempt of reopening."

A press statement by the governor after the briefing said evaluation of evolving scenarios regarding the course of COVID-19 in the state and the corresponding public health advisory guidelines issued by experts had necessitated the state to reconsider reopening of religious centers.

He said, "So, let me say this again: we are now hereby suspending, with immediate effect, the plan to reopen religious houses and places of worship in Lagos State until further notice. We will continue to monitor the situation closely, and continue to base our decision-making on data modeling; as well as on the responsibility we have to act in a manner that ensures the protection of all residents."