Unlock 1.0: Haryana villagers lift barricades, ditch masks

JIND: If Covid-19 lockdown struck fear in the hearts of people and made them extremely cautious, Unlock 1.0 has made them more casual in their approach. Barricades put up around two months back to seal village boundaries to restrict the entry of outsiders are now being removed.
Most people in villages of Jind, Hisar, Kaithal, Rohtak and Bhiwani districts have even stopped wearing face masks and don’t follow social distancing norms despite there being a number of Covid-19 cases.
Sonu Kumar, a resident of Radhana village in Jind, said,“When the first coronavirus case was reported in the district, people were scared and started barricading the villages. Initially, 90% people were staying at home and only 10% ventured out, that too in case of emergency. But, it’s a different picture altogether now. Now, people are saying that one can survive even if infected so there is no need to be afraid of the virus.”
Another Hisar native, Parveen Kumar of Rajthal village, said, “I visit several villages daily in Narnaund block to distribute newspaper but I don’t see most people taking any precautions. There are hardly around 30% people who follow the safety protocol and there are no ‘thikri pehra’ any more.”
“People are tired of barricades and have stopped using face masks and following social distancing norms. One does that only when visiting a city or town to avoid a penalty of Rs 500,” claimed Jagbir Singh, a native of Bhiwani district.
Pardeep Kumar, resident of Pai village in Kaithal, claimed things have changed now. “People have started shaking hands again and stopped using sanitisers and face masks. They are saying we can’t wait for so long and don’t care if the virus infects us.”