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Leaflets in Santhali: Jhargram tries hard to educate villagers about Covid

In order to ensure that the directions and guidelines released by the state to prevent the spread of the pandemic reach the tribal communities.

Leaflets in Santhali: Jhargram tries hard to educate villagers about Covid

Representational image. (Photo: iStock)

At a time when the world is grappling with the coronavirus outbreak which has already been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Jhargram district administration appears to be striving hard to aware people over this raging health emergency.

In order to ensure that the directions and guidelines released by the state to prevent the spread of the pandemic reach the tribal communities of the district, it has come up with a novel initiative. With the assistance of the Health Department, leaflets in Santhal language have been made and are being circulated among the tribal communities.

From explaining what coronavirus is and how it is lethal to humans, to the importance of hand sanitisation and hygiene, the leaflet contains all the basic information required to fight COVID-19.

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“We have selected members from the tribal communities of different areas and have given awareness to them about the coronavirus COVID19. Apart from these trained persons, the Asha workers in the region go to each tribal colony and inform them about the do’s and don’ts in their language,” said Saikat De, block development officer, Jamboni.

When asked what the coronavirus outbreak is all about, none, including the youth, could give a satisfying answer. Responding to a question on the viral infection, a village elder in Kankrajhore guessed that it was spread from poultry another said it may be about the air. Most people in the village say they haven’t heard of Covid-19, the disease that has already infected thousands of people in India alone.

Some say they have heard the word coronavirus but don’t know what it is and what they should be doing to protect themselves. The youth in the village was equally unaware about the basic hygiene that must be followed to prevent the viral infection. The government has ordered schools to remain shut but it appears that students haven’t been told about the outbreak either. At a time when it is being emphasized on the need for social distancing to avoid local transmission of the disease, children in a remote village in Belpahari were seen playing and mingling with others as their schools remain shut until 14 April, ironically to prevent the spread of coronavirus outbreak.

Kunar Hembram, a BJP MP from Jhargram, who has already asked the district administration for an expense of Rs 50 lakh from his MP fund for combating Covid-19, said, “No effort has been taken to aware the tribals about the dreaded virus. Basically, the district has no proper infrastructure. Who will do the vast job?” The district magistrate Ayesha Rani A, however, did not respond while this correspondent had repeatedly called her over the phone.

Some NGOs, which are working in the region, however, continue their efforts to aware the tribals. “I have already instructed our men how to protect themselves from the dreaded virus. I have told them not to allow any outsider in your village. If anyone returns home from outside, he will have to be put in home quarantine,” said Arup Roy, a retired professor who is attached with an NGO at Amlasole.

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