A 23-year-old woman sarpanch of a village in Telangana’s Nalgonda district is taking the lead in enforcing the 21-day-lockdown amid the outbreak of COVID-19 across the country.
Following the PM’s address, India went into a 21-day lockdown starting 25 March, with all domestic borders sealed and non-essential activity restricted. According to The Times of India, Vudutha Akhila Yadav, the sarpanch of Madanapuram village spent the first few days of the lockdown, literally standing guard outside the boundaries of her village, armed with a stick, and enquiring into people’s reason of travel into the village.
“Earlier, people were not taking the lockdown seriously, I saw people from other villages travelling here for no valid reason. So I sat at the entrance of the village and put up barricades. I would ask them the reason for roaming outside and entering the village if they have a genuine reason, they were allowed to enter,” she reportedly said.
With the Telangana government declaring that 11 persons had recovered and would be discharged on Monday, 30 March, the number of active cases currently undergoing treatment comes to 58.
Yadav would spend her mornings and afternoons at the barricades, only returning in the evenings.
Now, the sarpanch goes from house-to-house educating people on the importance of social distancing, ensuring people actually stay home.
“This is the time we have to take precautions to save ourselves and loved ones from the pandemic. I know I can’t protect everyone, but this is the least I can do for the safety of my village. If one person gets the infection, the whole village can be affected,” the sarpanch, who is also a BSc graduate, reportedly said.
The sarpanch has also been asking people to take alternative routes in and out of the village and to educate them on the symptoms of coronavirus.
(With inputs from The Times of India)
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