Councillors in the Kolkata municipal area are conducting awareness drives urging people to wear masks, avoid crowded places and not stand in a melee in a market. Many not wearing masks are citing several excuses like they had just stepped out to buy one item or that they wanted to breathe some fresh air, some of the councillors said.
Some people not wearing masks are covering their faces with a piece of cloth or take out the mask from their pocket and put it on after seeing the awareness vans.
The awareness drives being done under the aegis of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s health department are also telling people to clear their premises of any waterlogging to prevent vector borne diseases.
“We are visiting marketplaces. We are visiting the remotest lanes and bylanes in our ward. The idea is to make everyone hear the message that Covid protocol has to be maintained,” said Arijit Das Thakur, councillor of Ward 106, which covers parts of Kasba and Jadavpur in south Kolkata.
Arup Chakraborty, the councillor of Ward 98, which covers areas like Netaji Nagar and Ranikuthi in Tollygunge on the southern fringes, said that marketplaces were targeted as people were still standing close to each other in the places to buy groceries, vegetables, fish and meat.
“We are repeating the message that everyone knows. The repetition will drive home the point that the need to maintain Covid protocols is very much needed,” he said.
Across the city, autorickshaws with two or three people to deliver the message can be seen stationed outside markets or running through neighbourhoods with the message being relayed.
According to the state health department’s Friday bulletin, 6,867 new Covid cases were reported in the city in the last 24 hours and 22,645 new cases were reported from the state.
Metro has been reporting for several days about people still not wearing masks in public places.
Chaitali Chatterjee, the councillor of Ward 90 and chairperson of borough VIII, said many people had told members of the team doing the awareness drive that they had just removed the mask.
“The good part is that there are many who also put on the mask when they hear the message being delivered from the roving autorickshaws. So, it is having an impact and encouraging some to wear the mask.”
The awareness drive is being helmed by the health department of the KMC with support from the ward councillors, said an official.