Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has permitted worship centres, gyms, cinemas in the state to resume full services.

He said mosques can hold their prayers five times daily while churches can also commence weekly services.

Worship centres were restricted to one gathering weekly after they were allowed to reopen following lockdown to check coronavirus in the nation.

Re-Opening of Cinemas, Spas, Gyms and other recreational centres

Sanwo-Olu also approved the reopening of cinemas, spas, gyms and other recreational centres in the state.

The governor gave the approval during a briefing on Saturday.

He, however, mandated owners of the cinemas and other recreational outlets to obtain the necessary clearance from the state safety commission before reopening.

Sanw-Olu also directed that they maintain a maximum of thirty-three percent occupancy while also complying with all safety measures.

“Henceforth, cinemas and gyms are permitted to reopen as soon as possible, with a maximum of thirty-three per cent (33%) occupancy, which means that there must be a minimum of two empty seats between occupied seats; and in the case of gyms, there must be constant disinfection of machines and equipment throughout the course of the day,” he said.

“Next month, October, we will announce the decisions regarding the reopening of other sectors of the economy: night-clubs, bars, event centres, spas, public parks and so on. For now, these will continue to remain closed, until fixed plans for reopening are announced in October 2020.

“As regards our places of worship, we are now also permitting the mosques to resume their five-times-a-day prayers, and in the case of churches, they are now also permitted to resume their mid-week services.”

In March, the governor had announced the closure of all recreational centers as measures to curtail the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

School Re-Opening

Gov. Sanwo-Olu also said public and private schools can resume fully on Monday, September 21, 2020.

The Governor who recently promised to pay the new minimum wage to all tertiary institutions in the state with effect from October said –

As we continue to open up the state and economy, today, I announced that students in JSS3 and SSS2 in all public schools, and students in private schools in Lagos should resume physical classes for the new academic session from September 21, 2020.

We encourage private school owners to consider staggered classes and alternate school days for their students. In the same vein, gyms and cinemas are allowed to open at 33% of their capacity while also ensuring all safety protocols are put in place for patrons.

I also announced further ease of restrictions on places of worships. Churches and mosques can perform daily prayers and mid-week services.

We are happy about the downward trend in reported cases of COVID-19 and we urge Lagosians to continue to follow all safety protocols.