Sola Adeyemo 
The Oyo State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), yesterday commended the efforts of the Seyi Makinde- led COVID-19 Task Force in its efforts at preventing spread of the pandemic in the state, counseling him not to go ahead with his plans to re-open schools.
In a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Dr. Akin Sodipo and Secretary, Dr. Okuwaseun Adebayo, the association described the announcement by the state government that final year primary and secondary school students should resume on 29th June, 2020 was a surprising one in view of the alarming figures of people infected being released daily.
Makinde had announced the resumption of classes for Primary Six, JSS3 and SS3 students from Monday, June 29; resumption of work by all categories of workers at the state secretariat from June 22; opening up of mosques and churches, which would operate at 25 per cent capacity with a decision to limit public gathering to not more than 25 persons.
But the NMA said “being a critical stakeholder in the war against the pandemic has been following closely the progression of the disease and its attendant morbidities and modalities within the state and the country at large and can conveniently say from statistics at hand that these decisions, although with good intentions, may not be a safe one for the school pupils and indeed the citizens of the state at large at this time that the disease appears to be on the increase.”
It, however, appealed to Makinde to reconsider his decision to reopen schools and religious’ centers for the time being.
