Governor Seyi Makinde has said that the state will continue to do selective lock down instead of total lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic as there will be no immediate benefit for the masses.
Governor Makinde said this while featuring on telephone interview with Mayor Isaac Brown On Fresh 105.9 Ibadan on Tuesday monitored by InsideOyo.com.
When Isaac Brown asked about if the possibility of total lockdown of Oyo imminent, the governor switfly answered that the state will continue to assess the situation and take additional measures where necessary.
“Everything that can be done to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Oyo State is on the table.
“We will continue to assess the situation and take additional measures where necessary.
“But remember also that my own background is engineering and I kept saying to people that as an engineer, you take decisions that are based on logic and fact. It’s an uncharted territory. We kept on interacting with the experts to find out what are the facts emerging,” he said.
He asked what will be the benefit of Oyo state if there is a total lockdown.
He said, “Lagos can be on lockdown, Ogun can be on lockdown, Oyo State, What will be the benefits here? Are there alternative courses of action for us to take? If you ask people not to come out, you lock down the market places, there are people who what they sell today – the profit from today’s activities is what they will eat tomorrow. There are plenty people like that within our environment. So, are there alternatives available to us? Can we do selective lockdowns? That’s why I imposed the curfew, to say look “irin ti o ba ye ka rin.”
He assured the residents that everything is on the table but it has to follow a logical pattern and it will need the input of experts.
“We are not just going to lockdown because everyone is locking down.
“I have been watching CNN and the most successful place right now in containing this is the Czech Republic. And one of the things they brought out is that they made a law that if you must leave your house, you must wear a mask. It may be that route for us to go. I have asked them to start evaluating that. If we must make that law and say everybody that must go out must wear a mask, then, how about those who cannot afford it.
“Can we make masks locally? Can we get our artisans and our tailors to commit to that with the government supporting? So, those are the type of solutions we are looking for.”
Governor Makinde urged everyone in Oyo State to continue to follow the directives of the COVID-19 Task Force.
