Chosen Solution
Can the Lens be removed and then further disassembled to clean out grime and get the proper opening and closing of the cover to result?
You can find a few simple tips at https://wiki.restarters.net/Compact_came… From the repair guide, it seems removing the lens from the camera is fairly simple, but won’t get you much further. Disassembly of a compact camera is generally possible, but reassembly is much harder. You can get some idea of what’s involved from Canon PowerShot SX200 IS Lens Disassembly