GUWAHATI: Wit and humour have been found universally to be effective ingredients in public interest campaigns.
Even in these difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Assam Police has made sure it does not lose its witty side.
Playing on the Shahrukh Khan-starrer “Main Hoon Na”, the Assam Police has launched a social media campaign for mask-wearing. It shared a poster of the Bollywood superstar on Twitter with the tagline “Mask Hai Na!”
“Corona ki hogi haar because mask hai na”. Another tweet reads: “Together we can beat it, 6 feet apart to defeat it”.
Additional Director General of Police, Harmeet Singh said: “These messages are very effective, for they quickly catch the attention of the public. They do get more traction than normal press releases, etc”.
Almost on a daily basis, the Assam Police is trying to reach out to people through social media to try and make them adhere to the government-issued guidelines to keep the virus at bay.
Leading the campaign, Director General of Police, Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta is insisting on a mass movement for mask-wearing.
“How much can one achieve by beating up people and penalizing them for not wearing the mask? There should be a mass movement for mask-wearing. People themselves have to realise it,” Mahanta said.
He added: “We are emphasizing on creating a task force with concerned departments, like DDMA and Municipal Corporations, for making mask-wearing mandatory in public places. But this can’t be done successfully without the cooperation and commitment from each one of us”.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal held a meeting with senior officials of the government on Monday to prepare a roadmap to combat the disease.
“Discussed the roadmap ahead to combat the ongoing #COVID19 situation in presence of Health Minister Shri @himantabiswa and senior officials in Guwahati. We are taking all measures to keep citizens safe and healthy. Do #WearMask and please follow Govt guidelines,” Sonowal tweeted.