Juliet Uduji
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has disclosed why the State Government agreed to reopen schools despite the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic.
The Governor stated this while briefing newsmen at the State House, Ikeja, on COVID-19 update in the state, yesterday.
He said about 24,000 students were still missing from the public schools after resumption of schools at the end of the lockdown neccesitated by the first wave of COVID-19 in the country last year.
He said: “Last year, after the first lockdown and kids returned to school, about 24,000 of them have not come back to school. So, there is a challenge if you keep them out for that long and their parents or guardians now turn them for other things.
“At least, if they’re registered from the beginning of a session they can monitor them. If not, they will just be roaming and they become endanger. We have seen incidents of child abuse and all unprintable things being done to these children. So, we believe to a large extent, that schools, sometimes, happen to be the safe haven for them. We have done the roster in which we ensure they keep social distance and we are monitoring.”
The Governor also disclosed that as of January 17, 2021, Lagos had recorded a total of 41,374 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and the rate at which people were testing positive to the virus, any malaria-like symptom should now be considered and treated as COVID-19 until proven otherwise.
He, however, assured Lagosians that the Government has put a robust testing, oxygen, home based and vaccine strategies in place to further contain the spread of the pandemic in the State.
He also advised inbound and out bound travellers to adhered strictly to guidelines and rules on testings and isolation put in place by the Government.