Companies are asking their staff members to work from home despite the federal government’s directive to ease the lockdown from Monday.
Corporate bodies in Lagos are conscious of their staff contracting coronavirus in Nigeria’s economic capital, which has emerged as the hotbed of Covid-19 with more than 1,000 cases and about 30 deaths.
Nigeria currently has over 2,500 cases and there are fears that the lockdown easing would worsen an already bad situation.
Junaid Synergy Limited, an energy supplier company at Ikoyi, asked its workers to continue to work from home till further notice.
Also CSL research, a subsidiary of the First City Monument Bank requested that its staff members continue to work from home. Similarly, Zenith Insurance instructed its staff to work from home till further notice while Wema Bank opened some branches and practised rotational work pattern as some of its branches were closed.
Some companies like the Dangote Group, however, preferred to resume and close earlier while making plans to allow rotational work behavior for staff members.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos State governor, had ordered state civil servants to all work from home from Monday while officers from grade level 15 would have the permission to resume work from Tuesday.
In addition to this, the 8pm to 6am curfew remains valid.
Some entrepreneurs still preferred to stay at home than take the risk of contracting the virus. Kasunmu Aisha, a Lagos-based makeup artist, said that her studio remained closed till further notice, stating that instead of leaving home she would engage in online trainings.
Joseph Onah, CEO, Sparkles, said in line with the directive of the 60 percent workforce at workplace, his staff coming from far distances would remain at home while those within the company environment would come to work. “Due to the nature of our job, I cannot ask my staff to work from home. However, before the end of the week, if necessary, I may ask all of them to stay at home. It is better to be safe than sorry,” he said.
