COVID-19: Man dressed as 'Yamraj' distributes masks in Bhopal
In a desperate bid to make people use face covers and masks amid the raging coronavirus, the administration in Bhopal has given an ultimatum to its residents. Anyone without a mask will be given the duty of assisting health workers and others in handling COVID-19-related work. A man dressed as 'Yamraj' (god of death) has also descended on the streets, asking people to wear masks or use face covers.
From Delhi to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, Yamraj, is a common sight asking people to stay indoors and take precautions against COVID-19.
Bhopal has registered 102 new cases in the last 24 hours and the total number of cases in the Madhya Pradesh capital has touched 3,823.
"Store owners in Bhopal, found without a mask, will be given duty as 'corona warrior' and their shops will be sealed for three days," Avinash Lavaniya, Collector of Bhopal told NDTV.
"Every day I am forced to fine 10-12 people for not wearing masks," says Vinayak Soni, a traffic police.
Health workers in Bhopal say, around 30-40 per cent of the people in the city doesn't wear masks or use face covers. Since the pandemic spread like wildfire, experts have been saying masks are the best way to control the spreading of the deadly virus. The Prime Minister also, in his several addresses to the nation, asked people to wear masks and maintain "do gaz doori" (approximately 6-feet distance).
Last week, a woman in Tamil Nadu, dressed as Goddess Mariamman, was seen on the streets distributing masks and spreading awareness about COVID-19. Tamil Nadu is at number two on the list of worst virus-hit states in India.