KALEEM GEELANI

ANANTNAG: The municipal committee of Dooru-Verinag in Anantnag district has come up with a rather geometrical idea to spread awareness about social distancing. It has drawn large circles, indicating where a single person should stand separately, on paths leading to and near entrances of hospitals and ATMs.
This distinctive way of indicating the distance to be maintained among every person was started at Model Hospital Dooru and Primary Health Centre (PHC) Verinag. At both these places a large number of patients visit on daily basis.
The ground near ticket counters of the two hospitals was also marked with white circles to ensure that patients maintain distance while standing in the queue.
The people of the area were impressed at this move by their municipal committee. They said it will prevent crowding at hospitals and other places.
Arif Ahmad, a resident of the area, said, “As the OPDs are open here, a good number of people visit the hospitals daily. In such gatherings, anyone can catch an infection. It is indeed a good move to keep people at distance.”
Besides the hospitals, the paths leading to bank branches and ATMs were also marked with circles to ensure people maintain a certain distance.
This marking at important places will continue every day, said a municipal committee official.
President of the Municipal Committee, Mohammad Iqbal, told Kashmir Reader, “We have started the drive from today to mark ways leading to essential services, especially hospitals and ATMs. This kind of drive is yet to be conducted by any other municipal committee in the valley. We are at the forefront to ensure social distancing of people at public places, where chances of infections are high.”
He further added, “We will conduct this drive every morning, to ensure distance is maintained between people who are out of their homes in these times of emergency. We won’t allow gatherings at hospitals. We will arrange chairs for elderly persons so that they manage a gap between them, as they cannot stand and wait for their turn standing on the marked circles..

Reader correspondent