• Assembly suspends legislative activities
• Oyo reiterates readiness, denies infected Atiku’s son attended PDP rally
• Ogun reduces people in public gatherings from 50 to 20

Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola has urged residents of the state not to panic about the ravaging Coronavirus pandemic, imploring them to maintain high level of hygiene and keep to precautionary measures rolled out by the government.

He said that his administration had put measures in place to tackle any challenge that may be posed by the killer disease.

Oyetola, who spoke in a statewide broadcast to the citizens yesterday, said that there was no confirmed case of the virus in the state yet but urged the people to be vigilant and take necessary actions to prevent its occurrence.

Meanwhile, the state House of Assembly yesterday suspended all parliamentary activities for 16 days.

Chairman, House Committee on Information Kunle Akande, disclosed this to journalists in Osogbo during a briefing.

He said the state Assembly, having realised that it would be difficult to maintain the recommended social distancing, decided to put sessions and hearing on hold for 16 days, adding that the House took the decision to ensure compliance with the directive of the state and federal governments on gathering of not more than 50 persons.

In the same vein, the Oyo State government yesterday declared that it was ready to curtail and contain the spread of Coronavirus in the state.

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bashir Bello, while reacting to the alarm raised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) over alleged poor preparedness of the state, said that the state had now prepared more centres to quarantine suspected carriers of the virus.

Bello disclosed that more health professionals were also being trained to handle cases relating to Coronavirus.

Also, the state government has described as false the report suggesting that the son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who tested positive for Coronavirus attended the unification rally of PDP in Ibadan.

Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Taiwo Adisa, said while they sympathised with the family of Atiku Abubakar concerning the infection of one of his sons by Coronavirus, the Atiku family had confirmed that the son who attended the rally was not the one infected.

However, the Ogun State government yesterday announced new measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, directing that the number of people that can gather in public places should be reduced to 20.

It also directed that civil servants should only come to work once a week.

A statement by Chief Press Secretary to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Mr. Kunle Somorin, also mandated that all taxi cabs should not carry more than three passengers at once, tricycles not more than two passengers and motorcycles not more one passenger.