Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, said on Friday that he would not hesitate in reinstating the lockdown earlier imposed on the state to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic if residents continue flouting health guidelines.
He spoke in a statewide broadcast to mark the first year of his second term in office.
Mr Wike expressed regret that despite his administration’s efforts, 12 persons had so far died of the disease in the state.
He said: “As of today, we’ve painfully lost 12 persons, and probably more, to the death pangs of the coronavirus. For us, every life matters; and every life lost is a monumental tragedy, not only to the immediate families, but also, to all of humanity.
“Regrettably, we have observed that the advisories, directives and regulations on social distancing and the compulsory wearing of face masks are being ignored at alarming proportions in the state, much to our collective discomfort and peril.
“So many people are moving about on our streets and into other public places without face masks. We have sighted businesses, including banks and shopping centres attending to customers without face masks or maintaining physical distancing.
“We have also seen people on our streets buying and selling without face masks or observing social distancing in clear disregard of the ban on clustered trading activities and unauthorized social gatherings.
“These are all very irresponsible and risky behaviour in the face of the invisible and ravaging pandemic and the enormous threat it poses to public health and the safety of human lives.
“Those who continue to exhibit or encourage such callous behaviour or trivialize the fatal power of this virus or still live in denial of its existence are either insane or the worst enemies of mankind. Believe it or not, the transmission of this pandemic depends on our own individual behaviour, actions or inactions.
“We must therefore all strive to help ourselves, our families, our communities and our State by complying religiously with the laid down regulations and advisories on social distancing and wearing of face masks.
“Let me therefore, warn us again, that enough is enough. We shall bring the full weight of the law to bear on every recalcitrant person, business or institution, irrespective of status or station who decides to treat the existing orders and regulations for mitigating the spread of covid-19 in our State with contempt.
“While we have reserved the recourse to total lockdown for obvious reasons, it appears we may be forced to reinstate this drastic measure, sooner than later, if members of the public continue to flout, disregard and or abuse the established regulations on social distancing and the compulsory wearing of face masks in the state.”
