Rajesh Babu, a police inspector in the southern city of Chennai, wears a specially constructed coronavirus helmet while stopping vehicles and pedestrians at checkpoints.
The helmet is covered in red spikes with bulbs on the end, just like the microscopic image of the coronavirus, which causes the disease Covid-19.
Police inspector Rajesh Babu in a coronavirus-themed helmet, talking to commuters in Chennai, India, on March 28.
Local artist B. Gowtham, founder of the Chennai-based organization the Art Kingdom, came up with the helmet after noticing a lack of public awareness around the pandemic and preventative measures.
"People are not hygienic enough," Gowtham said. "We have government orders not to come out -- but still, we're seeing people roaming here and there without proper safety equipment, without masks."
Gowtham thought people weren't taking the illness seriously because it seemed invisible. So he decided to create something whereby they could actually see the virus coming toward them.
Then, he said, "people will be frightened."
Gowtham went to his nearest police station. "They've been working continuously, so I wanted to reduce their workload and make people more aware," he said. After getting their support, he got to work.
Every store was shut, so he improvised, using newspapers and tissue paper to create the helmet and its spikes -- then gave it to police inspector Babu, who loved the idea.
Wearing the helmet, Babu stops people in cars or motorcycles, especially when he sees them not wearing face masks. He tells them about the necessity of social distancing and protective personal equipment and urges them not to go outside for nonessential reasons.
Artist B. Gowtham created the coronavirus helmet, which was then used by police inspector Rajesh Babu in Chennai, India.
Dressed as the coronavirus, he would say: "If you come out, I will come in."
The helmet has been well received, Gowtham said, with a number of commuters thanking Babu for the information and agreeing to stay home.
India has recorded 1,024 cases of the coronavirus and 27 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the lockdown last Tuesday, and it went into effect midnight that day. The short notice could be one reason why people were caught off guard, Gowtham said.
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Medical staff stand outside a hospital in Daegu, South Korea, on March 1.
Hide Caption
88 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Healthcare workers transfer a patient at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington, on March 1. The long-term care facility is linked to confirmed coronavirus cases.
Hide Caption
89 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a London laboratory of the Public Health England National Infection Service.
Hide Caption
90 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Tomoyuki Sugano, a professional baseball player on the Yomiuri Giants, throws a pitch in an empty Tokyo Dome during a preseason game on February 29. Fans have been barred from preseason games to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Hide Caption
91 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Commuters wearing masks make their way to work during morning rush hour at the Shinagawa train station in Tokyo on February 28.
Hide Caption
92 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Medical staff transport a coronavirus patient within the Red Cross hospital in Wuhan on February 28.
Hide Caption
93 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Inter Milan plays Ludogorets in an empty soccer stadium in Milan, Italy, on February 27. The match was ordered to be played behind closed doors as Italian authorities continue to grapple with the coronavirus outbreak.
Hide Caption
94 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A bank clerk disinfects banknotes in China's Sichuan province on February 26.
Hide Caption
95 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A child wearing a protective face mask rides on a scooter in an empty area in Beijing.
Hide Caption
96 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A Catholic devotee wears a face mask as he is sprinkled with ash during Ash Wednesday services in Paranaque, Philippines, on February 26.
Hide Caption
97 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
People disinfect Qom's Masumeh shrine in Tehran, Iran, on February 25.
Hide Caption
98 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A worker in Daegu stacks plastic buckets containing medical waste from coronavirus patients on February 24.
Hide Caption
99 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Paramedics carry a stretcher off an ambulance in Hong Kong on February 23.
Hide Caption
100 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
People attend a professional soccer match in Kobe, Japan, on February 23. To help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, the soccer club Vissel Kobe told fans not to sing, chant or wave flags in the season opener against Yokohama FC.
Hide Caption
101 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A team of volunteers disinfects a pedestrian bridge in Bangkok, Thailand.
Hide Caption
102 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A man rides his bike in Beijing on February 23.
Hide Caption
103 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Hospital personnel in Codogno, Italy, carry new beds inside the hospital on February 21. The hospital is hosting some people who have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.
Hide Caption
104 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Doctors look at a CT scan of a lung at a hospital in Xiaogan, China, on February 20.
Hide Caption
105 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A sales clerk wears a mask as she waits for customers at a hat shop in Beijing on February 18. Small companies that help drive China's economy are worried about how much damage the coronavirus outbreak will cause to business.
Hide Caption
106 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Buses carrying American passengers arrive at the Haneda Airport in Tokyo on February 17. The passengers were leaving the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship to be repatriated to the United States.
Hide Caption
107 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A medical worker rests at the isolation ward of the Red Cross hospital in Wuhan on February 16.
Hide Caption
108 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Authorities watch as the Westerdam cruise ship approaches a port in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on February 13. Despite having no confirmed cases of coronavirus on board, the Westerdam was refused port by four other Asian countries before being allowed to dock in Cambodia.
Hide Caption
109 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A worker has his temperature checked on a shuttered commercial street in Beijing on February 12.
Hide Caption
110 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Beds are made in the Wuhan Sports Center, which has been converted into a temporary hospital.
Hide Caption
111 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A child rides a scooter past a police officer wearing protective gear outside the Hong Mei House in Hong Kong on February 11. More than 100 people evacuated the housing block after four residents in two different apartments tested positive for the coronavirus.
Hide Caption
112 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Relatives of quarantined passengers wave at the Diamond Princess cruise ship as it leaves a port in Yokohama, Japan, to dump wastewater and generate potable water. Dozens of people on the ship were infected with coronavirus.
Hide Caption
113 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
The Deneway branch of the County Oak Medical Centre is closed amid coronavirus fears in Brighton, England, on February 11. Several locations in and around Brighton were quarantined after a man linked to several coronavirus cases in the United Kingdom came into contact with health-care workers and members of the public.
Hide Caption
114 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A police officer, left, wears protective gear as he guards a cordon at the Hong Mei House in Hong Kong on February 11.
Hide Caption
115 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A worker wears a protective suit as he waits to screen people entering an office building in Beijing on February 10. China's workforce is slowly coming back to work after the coronavirus outbreak forced many parts of the country to extend the Lunar New Year holiday by more than a week.
Hide Caption
116 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Chinese President Xi Jinping has his temperature checked during an appearance in Beijing on February 10.
Hide Caption
117 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Photojournalists wearing face masks take photos of a bus carrying passengers after they disembarked from the World Dream cruise ship in Hong Kong on February 9. More than 5,300 people were quarantined on two cruise ships off Hong Kong and Japan.
Hide Caption
118 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
People participating in a Lunar New Year Parade in New York City hold signs reading, "Wuhan stay strong!" on February 9.
Hide Caption
119 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A shopper walks past empty shelves at a grocery store in Hong Kong on February 9. China's Ministry of Commerce encouraged supermarkets and grocery stores to resume operations as the country's voluntary or mandatory quarantines began to take an economic toll.
Hide Caption
120 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A worker wearing a protective suit uses a machine to disinfect a business establishment in Shanghai, China, on February 9.
Hide Caption
121 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Workers in protective gear walk near the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama on February 7.
Hide Caption
122 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
People in Hong Kong attend a vigil February 7 for whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang. Li, 34, died in Wuhan after contracting the virus while treating a patient.
Hide Caption
123 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A woman grieves while paying tribute to Li at Li's hospital in Wuhan on February 7.
Hide Caption
124 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
The Anthem of the Seas cruise ship is seen docked at the Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey, on February 7. Passengers were to be screened for coronavirus as a precaution, an official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told CNN.
Hide Caption
125 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A light installation is displayed by striking members of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance and other activists at the Hospital Authority building in Hong Kong on February 7.
Hide Caption
126 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Passengers are seen on the deck of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, docked at the Yokohama Port on February 7.
Hide Caption
127 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Flight attendants wearing face masks make their way through Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok on February 7.
Hide Caption
128 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Workers check sterile medical gloves at a latex-product manufacturer in Nanjing, China, on February 6.
Hide Caption
129 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a Beijing market on February 6.
Hide Caption
130 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
This aerial photo shows the Leishenshan Hospital that is being built in Wuhan to handle coronavirus patients.
Hide Caption
131 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A passenger shows a note from the World Dream cruise ship docked at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong on February 5.
Hide Caption
132 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A mask is seen on a statue in Beijing on February 5.
Hide Caption
133 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
An ambulance stops at a traffic light in front of the Grand Lisboa Hotel in Macao. The virus turned China's gambling mecca into a ghost town.
Hide Caption
134 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A dog in Beijing wears a makeshift mask constructed from a paper cup.
Hide Caption
135 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Striking hospital workers in Hong Kong demand the closure of the border with mainland China on February 4.
Hide Caption
136 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
The Diamond Princess cruise ship sits anchored in quarantine off the port of Yokohama on February 4. It arrived a day earlier with passengers feeling ill.
Hide Caption
137 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A medical worker wearing protective gear waits to take the temperature of people entering Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong on February 4.
Hide Caption
138 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Medical workers in protective suits help transfer patients to a newly completed field hospital in Wuhan.
Hide Caption
139 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
People wearing protective overalls talk outside a Wuhan hotel housing people in isolation on February 3.
Hide Caption
140 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A man stands in front of TV screens broadcasting a speech by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on February 3. Lam said the city would shut almost all border-control points to the mainland.
Hide Caption
141 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A colleague sprays disinfectant on a doctor in Wuhan on February 3.
Hide Caption
142 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Commuters in Tokyo walk past an electric board displaying dismal stock prices on February 3, the first business day after the Chinese New Year. Asia's markets recorded their worst day in years as investors finally got a chance to react to the worsening coronavirus outbreak.
Hide Caption
143 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Medical workers move a coronavirus patient into an isolation ward at the Second People's Hospital in Fuyang, China, on February 1.
Hide Caption
144 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift masks while waiting to check in to a flight at the Beijing Capital Airport on January 30.
Hide Caption
145 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Passengers in Hong Kong wear protective masks as they wait to board a train at Lo Wu Station, near the mainland border, on January 30.
Hide Caption
146 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A volunteer wearing protective clothing disinfects a street in Qingdao, China, on January 29.
Hide Caption
147 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Nanning residents line up to buy face masks from a medical appliance store on January 29.
Hide Caption
148 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Lyu Jun, left, a member of a medical team leaving for Wuhan, says goodbye to a loved one in Urumqi, China, on January 28.
Hide Caption
149 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A charter flight from Wuhan arrives at an airport in Anchorage, Alaska, on January 28. The US government chartered the plane to bring home US citizens and diplomats from the American consulate in Wuhan.
Hide Caption
150 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
South Korean President Moon Jae-in wears a mask to inspect the National Medical Center in Seoul on January 28.
Hide Caption
151 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, center, attends a news conference in Hong Kong on January 28. Lam said China will stop individual travelers to Hong Kong while closing some border checkpoints and restricting flights and train services from the mainland.
Hide Caption
152 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Workers at an airport in Novosibirsk, Russia, check the temperatures of passengers who arrived from Beijing on January 28.
Hide Caption
153 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Alex Azar, the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, speaks during a news conference about the American public-health response.
Hide Caption
154 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Two residents walk in an empty park in Wuhan on January 27. The city remained on lockdown for a fourth day.
Hide Caption
155 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A person wears a protective mask, goggles and coat as he stands in a nearly empty street in Beijing on January 26.
Hide Caption
156 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Medical staff members bring a patient to the Wuhan Red Cross hospital on January 25.
Hide Caption
157 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
People wear protective masks as they walk under Lunar New Year decorations in Beijing on January 25.
Hide Caption
158 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Construction workers in Wuhan begin to work on a special hospital to deal with the outbreak on January 24.
Hide Caption
159 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, speaks to reporters on January 24 about a patient in Chicago who had been diagnosed with the coronavirus. The patient was the second in the United States to be diagnosed with the illness.
Hide Caption
160 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A couple kisses goodbye as they travel for the Lunar New Year holiday in Beijing on January 24.
Hide Caption
161 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Workers manufacture protective face masks at a factory in China's Hubei Province on January 23.
Hide Caption
162 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Shoppers wear masks in a Wuhan market on January 23.
Hide Caption
163 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Passengers are checked by a thermography device at an airport in Osaka, Japan, on January 23.
Hide Caption
164 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
People wear masks while shopping for vegetables in Wuhan on January 23.
Hide Caption
165 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A militia member checks the body temperature of a driver in Wuhan on January 23.
Hide Caption
166 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Passengers wear masks as they arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines, on January 23.
Hide Caption
167 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A customer holds boxes of particulate respirators at a pharmacy in Hong Kong on January 23.
Hide Caption
168 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Passengers wear masks at the high-speed train station in Hong Kong on January 23.
Hide Caption
169 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
A woman rides an electric bicycle in Wuhan on January 22.
Hide Caption
170 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
People in Guangzhou, China, wear protective masks on January 22.
Hide Caption
171 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
People go through a checkpoint in Guangzhou on January 22.
Hide Caption
172 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Medical staff of Wuhan's Union Hospital attend a gathering on January 22.
Hide Caption
173 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Health officials hold a news conference in Beijing on January 22.
Hide Caption
174 of 174
Photos: The novel coronavirus outbreak
Huntington Beach, California, and its shuttered pier lie empty on Saturday, March 28. The city of Huntington Beach has closed its pier and parking lots along the beach in efforts to limit the spread of Covid-19, although the beach itself remains open.
The lockdown will last for at least 21 days and applies to all of India's 36 states and union territories -- home to more than 1.3 billion people.
All shops, factories, offices, markets, religious spaces and construction sites are closed, with some interstate transportation suspended. Only essential services including health, grocery or firefighting services, among others, remain in operation.
In a monthly radio address to the nation on Sunday, Modi apologized for the lockdown and the difficulties it imposed on citizens, but reiterated that it was "the only option."
"I understand your troubles but there was no other way to wage a war against corona for a country like India with a population of 1.3 billion," he said. "It is a battle of life and death and we have to win it. Therefore, such strong measures were absolutely necessary."
Post a Comment