Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has announced that places of worship (Mosques and Churches) in the state will be reopened from Friday, August 7.

Sanwo-Olu disclosed this during a briefing on COVID-19 at the Lagos House in Marina area of the state.

While mosques will be reopened next week Friday, the governor said churches will follow suit on Sunday, August 9.

According to him, religious leaders must make available hand sanitisers, handheld thermometer checks, adding that the state government will ensure that social distancing is maintained.

“Places of worship in Lagos will now be opened from Friday, August 7 for our Muslim worshippers and on Sunday, August 9 for our Christian worshippers.

“We will only be allowing 50 per cent of their capacity at either the church or the mosque. Churches that have Saturday worship day will also be allowed to start holding their Saturday worship.

“We must reiterate that places of worship are only permitted to have their regular once a week service on designated days.

For the avoidance of doubt, there will be Friday worship for our Muslim followers and Sunday worship for our Christian followers,” he said.

“In addition, the following conditions must also be fully met by all our religious centres; regular gatherings are permitted to hold but vigils and other services should still be on hold for now.

“We recommend and seriously appeal to our senior citizens – if you are aged 65 and above, you are still strongly advised not to attend these places of worship. Please stay back at home.”

Sanwo-Olu advised religious leaders to consider holding services in open spaces and well-ventilated areas “as circumstances of faith and tradition permit”.

“We should still ensure that no face masks policy are maintained throughout the duration of the services. They should ensure that regular cleaning and disinfection of the facilities are carried out to maintain a clean and hygiene environment before, during and after the services.

“It is mandatory to provide handwashing facilities and hand sanitisers at the various worship places. Handshakes, hugs, high-fives are not permitted during gatherings and should be emphasised and displayed at the various places of worship,” he added.