Stay At Home’, Lagos asks Couples to obtain clearance to hold weddings

The Lagos State Government has on Friday made it mandatory for prospective couples to obtain clearance from the state government to hold weddings with 300 people in attendance.

The notice partly reads, “Weddings and social gatherings must not exceed 300 people with prior clearance from the Lagos State Safety Commission” .

The Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Lanre Mojola, said the state government is concerned about large gatherings and big weddings as the state experiences a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases.

The clearance is to be free and prospective couples will have to go on the Commission’s website to input the details of their weddings, adding that safety marshals will be deployed to such events to enforce all Covid protocols to prevent any possible spread of the virus.

The director-general said, “If it is not a big wedding, maybe 50 people, 100 people, we are not really concerned. But if it is a large gathering with 300 people and above, it is mandatory that you get a clearance. It is a free clearance; no payment whatsoever.

“The process is not difficult, you go online and input the details of the wedding. There might be a requirement to have safety marshals on ground, depending on the size of the wedding.

“The move is to put in place some control measures to prevent super-spreader weddings and hold people accountable. It also helps us in planning. For instance, if we are envisaging 500 guests at a wedding, there will be more attention on them. We will do our regular patrols and visit such places to ensure that they comply with safety protocols.”

“We will also forward those locations to our brothers in LASTMA (Lagos State Traffic Management Authority) and LAMATA (Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority) to be on the lookout that there is a big wedding and many cars will be coming into a neighbourhood so as to aid efficient traffic management.

“Any and all breaches of these regulations and public health protocols will lead to immediate closure (of event centres) as well as attract heavy fines, and any other sanctions and penalties deemed fit, in line with the Lagos State Infectious Diseases Control Regulation 2020”.

Recall, that Lagos, one of the epicentres of coronavirus management in Nigeria, recently returned Covid-19 protocols at religious centres and also banned a number of social places from holding gatherings to checkmate the second wave of the pandemic.