In a novel attempt to persuade the public to follow Covid related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), authorities in East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh launched a novel drive, putting masks on statues of freedom fighters to spread awareness.

The civil servants have launched the initiative in a bid of the failure of many citizens to wear masks despite Covid-19 ravaging in the region.

District collector D. Muralidhar Reddy arranged masks and tied them on the statues of famous leaders in public places, urging other officials to do the same in their respective areas across the district.

While briefing the initiative District collector stressed that it is strange that people are reluctant to wear masks even as the district is reporting over a thousand Covid cases daily for the past few weeks.

He tied a mask to a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the collectorate.

“Through this initiative, we hope people understand the significance of taking precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic,” he added.

Reddy further stated that people draw inspiration from freedom fighters and should start wearing masks.

Meanwhile, officials are also directed to maintain physical distancing.

As per today, Andhra Pradesh reported over million confirmed cases of Covid along 7,800 people who have succumbed to it.

There are nearly a hundred thousand confirmed cases across the state.