Police Officer Wears Coronavirus Helmet, Motivates People to Stay Inside During Lockdown!

Two weeks still remain of the coronavirus lockdown in India and the citizens are already getting restless. Many people are violating the protocols and keep wandering around without any important work amidst the lockdown. As the coronavirus cases increase even as the Indian government has enforced a 21-day lockdown, a police officer has come up with an innovative way to spread the message.

Rajesh Babu, a police inspector in the southern city of Chennai, has been wearing a specially fashioned coronavirus helmet while stopping vehicles and pedestrians at checkpoints. Rajesh said,

We take all the steps, but still people come out on the streets. Therefore, this corona helmet is one of the steps we are taking to ensure that people are aware of the seriousness of the police. The helmet is an attempt to do something different.

This unique helmet is covered in red spikes with bulbs on the end, just like the microscopic image of the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 coronavirus respiratory disease.

Also Read: Coronavirus Outbreak in India 

Local artist B. Gowtham, founder of the Chennai-based organisation Art Kingdom, came up with the helmet after witnessing a lack of responsibility and public awareness around the outbreak and measures that have been taken to prevent the spread.

People are not hygienic enough. We have government orders not to come out.But still, we’re seeing people roaming here and there without proper safety equipment, without masks…When I wear this, the thought of coronavirus comes into the minds of the commuters. Especially, the children react strongly after seeing this and want to be taken home.

Gowtham believes that people were not taking the COVID-19 outbreak seriously and didn’t understand the severity of the situation. Therefore, he planned to create something through which they could weigh the seriousness of the situation. And probably, scare them a bit into understanding it and applying the preventive measures efficiently.

Gowtham went to his nearest police station.

They’ve been working continuously, so I wanted to reduce their workload and make people more aware,.

He said. After getting their support, he got to work.

As every store was shut due to the lockdown, so he improvised, using newspapers and tissue paper to create the helmet and its spikes. The idea was loved by police inspector Babu.

With this helmet on, Babu stops people in cars or motorcycles, especially when he sees them not wearing face masks. He interacts with them, telling them about the necessity of social distancing and protective and personal equipment. He urges them to follow the medical guidelines and not go outside for non-essential reasons.

India is six days into its lockdown which is due to last for 21 days and applies to all 1.3 billion citizens. Meanwhile, the total number of coronavirus infected cases in the country has reached over 1,650, while the death toll has reached 50.

The restrictions have sent shockwaves around the country as the sudden closure of the train system left thousands of internal migrants with no choice but to walk home.

Via: CNN