Governor Willie Obiano’s Saturday’s announcement of relaxation of the
coronavirus lockdown in Anambra state came with a sigh of relief from
most residents of the state who had been forced indoors for about one
month following measures to curb the spread of the deadly virus.

The guidelines of the lockdown relaxation specified that movement of
people, places of worship, restaurants, food and drug markets were
free to return to action, but in strict observation of government and
World Health Organization’s directives on preventing the spread of the
disease.

Correspondent, Daniel Ezeigwe, monitored how people and activities in
Awka, Anambra capital city, are responding to the new government
directive.

The relaxation of the lockdown in Anambra state is part of
government’s plans to ease social and economic hardship resulting from the stay-at-home directive.

While people and previously closed businesses are gradually coming back to life, the directive on social distancing and wearing of face masks are
still poorly observed especially in markets, parks, restaurants and
public transports.

Reacting to the development , the Vice President General of Omogho community, Orumba South Council Area, Ichie Pindal Okonkwo, said that the government has played a responsive part with the recent announcement, adding that the responsibility of safety now lies with the people.

Mr. Nwachukwu Oguikpu, who had his hand-sewn face mask on, boarded a
clustered public transport to Onitsha, but noted that the
misconceptions that people attach to the disease largely determine
their choices to either observe the health safety guidelines or not.

A hotel staff manager in Awka, Mr. Patrick Mbaleke, said that even
though a lot was expected of the government to ameliorate the effects
of the lockdown, it was important that people understood the need to
protect themselves by adhering to the best preventive directives.

For Mr. Emeka Okafor, the government should do more to ensure that the
people, especially the poor, who are caught on the wrong side of the
current circumstance, receive more interventions. .

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