Maharashtra: Pune village uses umbrella as social distancing tool

A village in Pune district has decided to use an umbrella as a social distancing tool amid the coronavirus outbreak, taking a cue from a much-feted idea implemented in Thanneermukkom in Kerala's Alappuzha.

An official said the umbrella as a social distancing tool in Manchar gram panchayat on Pune-Nashik Highway, with a population of 50,000, was producing results as not a single COVID-19 case has been reported here so far.

"With lockdown norms being eased gradually, and a lot of people traveling to these parts from Mumbai, the danger of transmission also increased. Therefore, it became important to ensure the village was safe from the outbreak. Since the Kerala model of using umbrellas for social distancing was effective, we too adopted it here," said Datta Ganjale, sarpanch of Manchar village.

He said the use of social media, powered by hashtags, selfies with umbrella etc encouraged people and went a long way in making the idea a success.

Ambegaon tehsil Block Development Officer Jalinder Pathare said the umbrella idea has been effective so far.

"More and more people should adopt the concept and it is going to be a new normal in the coming days," said Pathare.