Ekiti State Government on Sunday announced the temporary suspension of the operations of eight pharmacies, supermarkets, and popular eating/drinking joints in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, over violation of COVID-19 guidelines.

The Coordinator of Ekiti COVID-19 Response Taskforce, Prof. Bolaji Aluko, said the closure of the outfits followed “scrupulous inspections on Friday/Saturday, August 14/15, 2020 by the Ekiti COVID Taskforce Compliance Unit”.

The affected outfits, according to a statement by Aluko, entitled, ‘Closure of various pharmacy, supermarket, and food institutions’, are two supermarkets, a shopping complex, a night club, and two popular drinking/eating joints.

Aluko stated, “The public is urged to ensure and advise that institutions that serve them obey the simple guidelines of use of infra-red thermometers, functional water/sanitiser stands, mask-wearing by all staff and patrons, and social distancing within the premises.

“These guidelines are for the health and safety of all Ekiti residents. The coronavirus pandemic is still with us.”

In a related development, Aluko expressed satisfaction with the compliance level of churches as they reopened for service on Sunday after five months of closure to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

He said, “The churches opened today (Sunday) and they all opened well. Most of them were seen to obey the rules. I think they don’t want an extension of the one-month delay we gave them to ensure compliance with the guidelines”.