By TOBA AJAYI

Some Ilorin residents have continued to violate safety measures announced by the Kwara government to stem the second wave of COVID-19 in the state, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The state government on Wednesday, Dec. 23, announced safety protocols to prevent a fresh outbreak of the virus in the state.

Some of the safety measures are compulsory wearing of facemasks in public places, maintaining physical distance, limiting the number of people in places of worships and using hand sanitisers.

The NAN correspondent, who went round the city on Saturday reports that a large number of residents were seen not wearing face masks and going about with their businesses without recourse to physical distancing.

One of the residents, Mr Bayode Abiona, told NAN that nobody was ready to obey government orders again, as they didn’t want to experience another round of hunger.

“Nobody will take them seriously again. The hunger is biting hard on us, you are talking about facemask and physical distance,” he said.

Another resident, Stephen Umuategbu, said he didn’t believe in the existence of the second wave of the virus.

“There is nothing like COVID-19 again. Coronavirus has gone,” he said.

On her part, Alhaja Munirat Jamiu, a trader, said no one was taking the government seriously again.

“As you can see everywhere, people are moving around without facemask, no more washing of hands at strategic places and no observation of physical distance,” she said.

However, Mr Babatunde Abdulkareem, the Head of Department, Political Science, Kwara State College of Education, Oro, stressed on the need for government to enforce the use of facemasks and other preventive measures.

Abdulkareem said the public was not adhering strictly to the safety measures put in place by the government, adding that the attitude is dangerous.

“The public is showing a nonchalant attitude to the fresh safety measures rolled out by government.

“It is very dangerous to underrate the deadly virus. There is the need to employ force to compel our people,” he said. (NAN)