Bayelsa gov, Diri, pardons churches sealed for violating covid-19 directives

The Bayelsa State government led by Governor Duoye Diri has ordered the State COVID-19 Taskforce Team to reopen worship centres in the state that were sealed for violating measures imposed by the state government to prevent the spread of the virus in the state.

Governor Diri gave the directive on Thursday at an enlarged meeting with religious leaders in the state at the government house in the capital of Yenagoa.

Quoting Governor Duoye, the acting Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, in a statement, said; “The governor having expressed concern over the daily update from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) with the state recording 54 new cases on Tuesday and 25 on Wednesday, said all hands must be on deck to curtail the spread of the virus.

“He also advised the violators to retrace their steps as his administration derived no pleasure in shutting down churches and other places of worship,” Alabrah added.

This came days after the Bayelsa State government said on Wednesday the state had recorded 54 new cases of COVID-19.

The Deputy Chairman of the state’s Task Force on COVID-19, Dr. Inodu Akpoku, who disclosed this in a statement in Yenagoa, described the latest figure as the highest confirmed cases recorded by the state in a single day.