Edo State government from Wednesday will bar people yet to take COVID-19 vaccine from gaining entry into government offices.
According to the state government, the move will be the first phase of its plan to bar unvaccinated persons from large public gatherings in the state.
Governor Godwin Obaseki had earlier vowed to deny unvaccinated persons access to banks, government offices, worship and event centres from mid-September, drawing public criticism.
On Tuesday, Permanent Secretary of the state ministry of health, Osamwonyi Irowa told journalists that only those with proof of vaccination will be allowed access into government facilities, starting from Wednesday, September 15, 2021.
“Beginning from September 15, Civil servants and others without COVID-19 vaccination cards will not be allowed into public facilities. Government House and public places will be manned by the task force.”
“Those civil servants without the cards and those who have not vaccinated will have to stay and work from home. This will be applicable in the 18 local government areas of the state,” he said.
“If you have to enter the state secretariat and other government offices, you must have your vaccination cards.
“The first phase of the enforcement, which begins tomorrow, September 15, is targeted at state government facilities.
“Those that cannot provide their COVID-19 vaccination cards may have to excuse us and be working from home, pending when a decision will be reached. As a state, we are doing everything possible to make sure that people don’t get infected.
“We are appealing to our people to get vaccinated because that is the more suitable way to prevent the severity of the disease and avoid death. The enforcement teams will commence tomorrow to help us reduce the number of cases and deaths that we are recording daily.”
He added that the state government had devised a way tell a fake vaccination card from a real one.
Similarly, Head of the COVID-19 enforcement team, Yusuf Haruna, said the government had trained 20 special teams to enforce the “no vaccination, no access to public places” policy.
The state government noted that 20 unvaccinated persons had died in the last four days.
