VISAKHAPATNAM: For the last 12 days, B Durga Prasad, 42, has been distributing masks to anyone who comes across him without wearing one. He rides in his bike around the city and does his part by spreading awareness on the second wave of the pandemic and the necessary precautions to be taken to keep the virus at bay.
During his ride every day, he plays a recording in own voice on the precautions to be taken to prevent the spread of the deadly virus such as “wear a mask- preferably a double-layered mask”, “please follow social distancing” and “wash your hands or use sanitisers frequently”.
Covering different areas of the city every day, Prasad, an aluminum worker, begins his ride at 8 am. Speaking to TNIE he said, “My aunt passed away recently due to Covid-19. This was when I realized that following the precautions is important and that if I made people aware of this, someone who is not wearing a mask will wear one and he can be saved from the infection.”
Prasad works at his aluminum workshop from 6 am to 8 am every day.He drives approximately 50 km a day. Prasad can be spotted easily — he wears a big red helmet with virus stems, metaphorically identifying himself as a virus. He made the helmet on his own. “I see that people become cautious and begin wearing their masks properly after hearing precautions and seeing me,” he says.
However, when he stops to give a mask to those who don’t wear, some get irritated. “Some people even yelled at me a few times. Some say it’s none of my business. I try to make them understand, sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t,” he explains.
During his 3-4 hours of ride, he spots at least 15-20 people who are not wearing a mask. While handing over the face mask, he gently explains the necessity of wearing a mask and how it could reduce the risk of catching Covid-19.“The government and NGOs are doing their bit by giving instructions. I am doing this so that people who are still not taking the pandemic seriously do so at least now,” he says.