This 98-Year-Old Corona Warrior From Punjab Stitches Masks For The Needy

In two years, Gurdev Kaur Dhaliwal will turn a hundred years old. But age and blurry vision in one eye could not defeated this coronavirus warrior from Punjab's Moga.

Her mornings begin with prayers and then for hours she sits at an old sewing machine to stitch face masks for the poor as the coronavirus pandemic spreads rapidly across the country. Face masks are an essential item to combat the spread of the deadly virus that has claimed over 600 lives in the country.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh showered praises on the elderly woman who has beem stitching masks from 8am to 4pm everyday to provide for those in need. Calling her the "strongest corona worker" from Punjab, Captain Singh tweeted:

The strongest Corona Warrior of Punjab is 98-year-old Gurdev Kaur from Moga who with her family is stitching masks for Punjab. Such selfless dedication of Punjabis is proof of how strong we are & that we will overcome any challenge which comes our way. Thank you @BBCPunjabi pic.twitter.com/poNOZ3fuQe

— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) April 21, 2020

The Punjab government has made wearing masks mandatory as at least 245 people have been infected with coronavirus in the state.

Many people are now trying to contribute to Ms Dhaliwal's noble cause as the demand for her face masks continues to grow.

Face masks and hand sanitisers - essentials to fight coronavirus had seen an acute shortage. Not just that, most masks are expensive and many are not able to afford them. Seeing some needy people not able to buy one pushed Gurdev Kaur into stitching masks.

"Several vegetable sellers in our area were not wearing masks. We told them to wear it to protect themselves from coronavirus but they said they could not afford it. Then we decided to stitch masks and give it to them free of cost," Amarjit Kaur, Ms Dhaliwal's daughter-in-law told news agency PTI.

16 people have died in Punjab as of yet due to the novel coronavirus outbreak that has affected around 19,000 people in India alone.