As part of its efforts to stem the tide of COVID-19, Lagos State Government has implored Council of Obas and Chiefs, Chairmen of LGs/LCDAs and executives of Lagos State Development Advisory Council to resume the sensitisation campaign on health precautions as the number of infected persons increases due to the second wave of the virus.
Speaking at a stakeholder-meeting with the Council of Obas and Chiefs, LG/LCDA Chairmen, members and executives of Lagos State Development Advisory Council Chairmen of the 57 LGs and LCDAs, the Commissioner for Local Government & Community Affairs, Dr. Wale Ahmed, also urged the Council Chairmen to embark on the decontamination of their respective localities.
The Commissioner reiterated that these measures have become expedient owing to the resurgence of the pandemic and the spike in the current rate of infection, stressing that there is a need to ensure members of their communities adhere strictly to the health guidelines issued by the State government to curb the spread of the highly contagious virus.
He said, “It very vital that we all must ensure that residents of our various communities must comply with all safety directives, such as the wearing of facemasks, physical distancing, regular hand-washing and the use of alcohol-based sanitiser”.
While commending stakeholders for their support at the wake of the pandemic in year 2020, Dr. Ahmed assured that with the support of the citizens of Lagos, the State will emerge out of this health challenge stronger with better health structures and a prosperous economy.
In another development, the Lagos State Government has urged stakeholders in the built environment to adhere strictly to the guidelines relevant to building construction sites in order to prevent the spread of the virus in the State.
The Honourable Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, who made the call on Monday through a statement issued by the Ministry, said that it had become expedient to provide additional directives to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus disease on all construction sites in the State.
The Commissioner reiterated that government, in arriving at the guidelines issued in May 2020, had taken cognisance of the vital contribution of the Construction Industry to the economy of the State and appreciated the need to safeguard the sector, especially at this trying period, adding that all construction sites in Lagos State must observe the guidelines issued by the government.
He listed some of the guidelines to include a conspicuous display of safety information about COVID-19 on-site; maintaining a register and daily records of all workers engaged on the site; daily monitoring and documentation of the health conditions of all workers on-site; limiting the number of workers per building construction site of 650 sqm to 15 and displaying the approved copy of the building design on site.
“Other expectations are the provision of hand sanitiser and/or water receptacle for regular handwashing; use of Personal Protective Equipment, including facemask, by all personnel; observing physical distancing at all times and limiting the attendance at project meetings to 15 persons among others”, he added.
Salako recalled that the guidelines formed an update to the existing directives and regulations guiding construction sites in the State, noting that the list must be displayed visibly at strategic locations within the project site to guide compliance and guarantee the safety of workers as well as visitors to the site.
He warned that any defaulting construction site would be penalised heavily and enjoined the general public to explore the online portal for the processing of their planning permits and other services of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.
Recall that the Lagos State Government, after the gradual and controlled easing of the COVID-19 lockdown in May 2020, released a set of guidelines for building construction sites.
