Social distancing goes for toss during anti-coronavirus campaign

Biswabrata Goswami

Statesman News Service

KRISHNAGAR, 22 APRIL: Amidst the lockdown to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, an awareness campaign against the contagion attracted a large number of people at Santipur in Nadia, who in the process violated every norms and precautions they were being advised to take. 

The awareness programme about the novel coronavirus was organized by the Santipur municipality where some Bahurupi artists dressing themselves up as the coronavirus and marching on the road to spread awareness about the consequences if the disease spreads among the community.

Painted themselves like novel coronavirus, the artists took to the street and started campaigning about do’s and don’ts. But, many enthusiastic people joined the campaign and started walking behind the artists. The campaign programme immediately turned into a ‘small rally’ which proceeded along the road in the Santipur market.

“They even did not maintain the physical distance among themselves while they were campaigning before the people asking them to stay inside their homes and maintain always physical or social distances. Unfortunately, many of them even did not wear masks while they asked the common people to wear masks when they will come out from their houses to purchase essential commodities”, alleged Rathin Pal, a resident of Santipur.

When asked, Ajay Dey, chairman of the Santipur municipality said, “It was not a rally. We asked some Bahurupi artists to conduct a campaign programme to make people aware about the novel coronavirus. When they were conducting such a campaign programme some enthusiastic people may have joined them. This apart, nothing happened. As some people attracted by the artists came close to them, there was a gathering for some time. But, they were later separated”.

“We are now going through a rough time. The Central government has clearly mentioned asking people not to go out from their houses unnecessarily and maintain social distance. At this moment, this type of propaganda need not be performed in the locality. As a result, no one can be assured that there were no asymptomatic people who came close with common people”, alleged Subrata Sur, a BJP leader in the locality.    

Sur also said that he would lodge a complaint with his party’s MP Jagannath Sarkar against the Santipur civic body chairman. “I will also send a letter to the Central team visiting the state now about the incident”, Sur added.