COVID-19: Gov Wike Warned Ahead Of Lockdown

River State government on Sunday warned that it may re-impose lockdown in January due to neglect of covid-19 regulations by riverians and in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus in the state.

Gov. Nyesom Wike handed the warning at a thanksgiving service in celebration of the 90th birthday of Mrs. Priscilla Mark, at the St. Martin’s Anglican Church, Omagwa.

The governor expressed his worry over the refusal of most churches and markets to enforce the wearing of face masks as required as a COVID-19 protocol in Rivers.

He said that although the State government had initially relaxed the restriction on the number of persons who worshipped in churches, new measures would be announced to curb the spread of second wave of COVID-19 in Rivers.

His words; “When you go to some churches, they don’t wear mask. Go to market, they don’t wear mask. They believe COVID is not real.

“It is not real because it has not happened to you; nobody had died whom you know. When somebody has died and the person was close to you, you will know that COVID is real.

“So, it is real and I want to appeal to all of you that we have to be stricter now because the second wave is more dangerous than the first wave. It’s very, very dangerous. I know how many people we have lost since the second wave started”, the governor said.

Gov. Wike implored the Bishop, Diocese of Ikwerre to prevail on members of all the churches under his jurisdiction to always wear their face mask.

“If you don’t comply, I have no choice, but to shut down the churches; Pentecostal, Catholic, Anglican. I have no choice, because when you have it, who spends the money? It is the state that treats.

“So, we need to use the money for some other things, but not for this. Let us discipline ourselves and know that COVID is real. Let nobody tell you that there is nothing like COVID. It’s real.”