Volunteers wear virus-shaped helmets to create awareness about following Covid protocols in Jammu
Jammu: In a bid to raise awareness about following Covid-19 protocols following the easing of restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir, volunteers of the Red Cross Society wore Covid-19 virus shaped helmets in public places in Jammu. The volunteers walked through markets with a hand speaker urging people to maintain social distancing, wear masks, and to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Vasu Sahani, a volunteer, urged people not to take the disease lightly. Speaking to ANI, he said, "With the administration giving relaxations in the Covid norms, we are conducting an awareness drive so that people should know that the pandemic has not ended yet and they are still supposed to abide by Covid appropriate behaviour." "We took this unique initiative to ensure that people do not take the disease lightly even after unlocking," he added. Another volunteer, Ankush Raina said if people do not follow the norms, there could be many more Covid waves.
"Even though the administration has started the unlocking process, we want to tell people it does not mean that the pandemic has ended. Nobody should step out until its essential," he told ANI. Raina further said, "If people do not understand, then we will have to fight a third wave also like we have been doing since the second wave started. And not just that, there could be many more waves in the coming months." Anil Sharma said that the aim should be to avoid further lockdowns. "We are going to different markets that are open, wearing these helmets because we want to convey that now we need to be even more cautious as people might start coming in contact with more people. For our own safety, we need to follow all Covid protocols. Another lockdown must not be imposed, we must aim towards this," he said. The Red Cross Society, in another initiative earlier, painted roads in Jammu district with messages and illustrations to create awareness about the deadly virus. A key element of the artwork highlighted social distancing aspects and standard operating procedures. Earlier on May 30, the administration of the union territory had issued fresh Covid-related restrictions, with some relaxations. Some of which included permitting salons, barber shops, and liquor shops to operate three days a week excluding Saturday and Sunday. Outdoors bazaars and outdoor shopping complexes were also permitted to open on an alternate day basis or a rotation system. As per the media bulletin on Covid-19, Jammu and Kashmir registered 1,723 new cases, 2,731 recoveries, and 34 related deaths on Friday.
