Ogun State Government has come out to say that it is set to reopen worship centres in the state from Friday, August 14.

Gov. Dapo Abiodun revealed this while he briefed journalists in Abeokuta recently.

According to him, the religious centres must strictly follow COVID-19 measures and guidelines once opened because the pandemic is still very much around.

He added that any worship centre that fails to follow all the guidelines would be punished appropriately because even the Holy books say obedience to constituted authorities is key.

His words, “We urge our religious leaders to ensure that they abide by the measures mutually agreed upon and rolled out.

“As government, we will not hesitate to impose severe sanctions, including, but not limited to, lockdown on any Worship Centre that fails to comply with the laid down guidelines.

“It is important to note that all religions make provision for obedience to God and the authorities of the land.

“Wearing of face masks in the public is now compulsory. Therefore, I hereby invoke powers conferred on me by Regulation 7 of the Infectious Diseases (Emergency Prevention) Regulations No. 2 of 2020 (the Regulations), made pursuant to Section 33 of the Public Health Law of Ogun State (the Law), to mandate the compulsory wearing of face masks by all persons in public as part of measures to prevent the rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).

“Failure to do so is punishable by up to six months imprisonment under Regulation 8 of the Regulations and Section 68 of the Law.”