Is Rural India Aware About COVID-19, Its Symptoms & Precautions?

The Quint reached MP’s Damoh to find out how much the rural citizens of the nation know about COVID-19.

(Photo: The Quint)

Does Rural India know about COVID-19?

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bharadwaj

As India grapples with a nationwide lockdown in an effort to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, The Quint reaches Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh to find out how much the citizens residing in the rural parts of the nation know about the disease, its symptoms and the preventive measures that should be taken to protect themselves from it.

When it came to awareness, most of the villagers had a fair idea about the disease and protective measures through the news. Purushottam, a resident of Khejri village, said that the news told him to “keep a distance of one metre from others” and “to not be in groups”.

But the locals complained about the administration’s lack of attention towards them. Mahesh, another local hailing from the same village, said:

“The authorities have not come in to check on us. Neither have they provided us with masks. We don’t know how to protect ourselves.”

Mahesh, Village Local

To compensate for lack of masks, villages have resorted to wrapping a piece of cloth around their nose and mouth. Some have also fallen victim to fake news, believing in rumours that eating meat can cause COVID-19.